Back to GatefoldIssue #1 by Tobias Christopher
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Several dimensions removed from the one we know is a world inhabited by a species of highly intelligent creatures. Beings who have made advancements that human beings could never dream of, such as cures for diseases like cancer, ways to decrease pollution, and a zero tolerance policy for reality TV stars.
A race of creatures who just happen to look like giant animal cookies. Lions, tigers, bears, and other sentient creatures composed of graham cracker went about their daily business, living their normal lives, going to their jobs, and driving around in cardboard boxes shaped like circus cars.
That is, until today, when a flash of light appeared in the middle of a city. When the light subsided, three cloaked figures stood in a smoking crater. One was dressed in a red cloak, one in yellow, and the third in blue, all three holding large staffs. Their faces were obscured by darkness as they stepped out of the crater and looked around.
"Another world, brothers," the leader, A, said. "Another world that needs to be cleaned."
B, the middle brother, stepped forward. "I can sense it, as well. This world is undeserving of life. Such wasted potential, and crumbs everywhere."
"It does make me hungry, though," the youngest brother, C, spoke up. "Perhaps after this we can return to that lovely dimension of talking shrimp for brunch."
"Brunch? Mind your tongue, brother," A said as he stared at the creatures. "It is lunchtime, so we shall eat lunch. But first, the matter at hand." The three brothers joined their staffs together, each with a colored ruby that matched their cloaks floating above each one. "Use your imaginations, brothers, and make it good. A fitting end to such a world as this."
A fiery red light shot up into the sky, turning the sky dark as the creatures started running around in a panic. Soon, white droplets started falling onto the creatures, each drop feeling like acid on the cookie-based lifeforms.
"Perhaps we should take higher ground," B said as the brothers started floating into the air, just as tidal waves of milk crashed through the city. All over the planet, the same fate was befalling every creature on the planet, until the entire planet had been drowned in milk, drenching the cookie creatures.
"Should we leave the place like this? The milk will surely spoil and make an unpleasant odor," C said as the brothers began to depart.
"Once we leave this dimension, our work will fade, leaving only the remnants of what was," A reminded him. "After we have recharged, we shall find a new planet to pass judgement on. Perhaps one that will be more challenging."
A race of creatures who just happen to look like giant animal cookies. Lions, tigers, bears, and other sentient creatures composed of graham cracker went about their daily business, living their normal lives, going to their jobs, and driving around in cardboard boxes shaped like circus cars.
That is, until today, when a flash of light appeared in the middle of a city. When the light subsided, three cloaked figures stood in a smoking crater. One was dressed in a red cloak, one in yellow, and the third in blue, all three holding large staffs. Their faces were obscured by darkness as they stepped out of the crater and looked around.
"Another world, brothers," the leader, A, said. "Another world that needs to be cleaned."
B, the middle brother, stepped forward. "I can sense it, as well. This world is undeserving of life. Such wasted potential, and crumbs everywhere."
"It does make me hungry, though," the youngest brother, C, spoke up. "Perhaps after this we can return to that lovely dimension of talking shrimp for brunch."
"Brunch? Mind your tongue, brother," A said as he stared at the creatures. "It is lunchtime, so we shall eat lunch. But first, the matter at hand." The three brothers joined their staffs together, each with a colored ruby that matched their cloaks floating above each one. "Use your imaginations, brothers, and make it good. A fitting end to such a world as this."
A fiery red light shot up into the sky, turning the sky dark as the creatures started running around in a panic. Soon, white droplets started falling onto the creatures, each drop feeling like acid on the cookie-based lifeforms.
"Perhaps we should take higher ground," B said as the brothers started floating into the air, just as tidal waves of milk crashed through the city. All over the planet, the same fate was befalling every creature on the planet, until the entire planet had been drowned in milk, drenching the cookie creatures.
"Should we leave the place like this? The milk will surely spoil and make an unpleasant odor," C said as the brothers began to depart.
"Once we leave this dimension, our work will fade, leaving only the remnants of what was," A reminded him. "After we have recharged, we shall find a new planet to pass judgement on. Perhaps one that will be more challenging."
“PLAYING HERO”
New York
Home to the Fantastic 4
and Spider-Man
and the Avengers
and the Punisher
and... that's a lot of heroes running around New York, isn't it?
My name is Franklin Richards. My dad is Mr. Fantastic; my mom is the Invisible Woman. My uncles are the Human Torch and the Thing. But me? I'm just a mostly powerless fifteen year old kid, thanks to a psychic inhibitor my dad put in my head when I was younger. It was meant to keep my powers in check so I wouldn't destroy reality or something. I still have some powers, just not enough to make a difference or stand out among people who can turn themselves into ice, control the weather, or talk to squirrels.
Some day, that's going to change. I'm going to be a great hero, and not just the son of one. I just have to find a way to stand out among the big guys. But we all have to start our heroic journeys somewhere. Mine begins here...
Franklin was standing on a rooftop early that morning, using a pair of binoculars to look out over the city. He was wearing one of Johnny Storm's old Fantastic 4 costumes, a black and blue suit with the 4 logo removed. His hair was blonde and shaggy, and constantly kept falling into his eyes. He brushed it back and continued to look out for danger, which wasn't too far away.
The police scanner alerted him to a pair of bank robbers headed his way. He rushed down the fire escape to reach his pride and joy: the old Spider-Mobile that he'd found in the junkyard. After a lot of hard work to get it running again, and a paint job to make it match his costume, it was ready for action. The bank robbers sped past just as Franklin's small car zoomed out of the alley after them.
"Hey, Donnie, you ain't gonna believe this," the second bank robber, Mark, said as he looked in the rearview mirror. "We're being tailed by... I don't know what we're being tailed by."
"We'll lose him," Donnie said as started swerving through traffic. "No one's catching us today!"
Franklin saw what they were doing and swerved to keep up. "Want to play rough, huh?" he asked as he flipped a switch on the panel to activate one of the new features that was designed for the car. The front bumper became magnetized, pulling him closer to the robber's vehicle.
"He's catching up!" Mark shouted as Donnie rolled down his window and started shooting.
"Uh-oh," Franklin said as he pushed another button, sending a bullet proof shield up, repelling most of the bullets back towards the robber's car. One of them struck the tires as the car hit the curb and started flying through the air. "Okay, this could be bad."
Franklin pushed a button, shooting a large webbing past the robber's car and between two trees, catching it before it could hit the ground.
"Yes!" Franklin shouted as his car came to a stop and jumped out of the car to make sure no one was hurt. "Another crime thwarted by Franklin Richards! Wow, I really need a code name."
"FRANKLIN BENJAMIN RICHARDS!" a voice shouted from not too far away.
"Oh, crap," Franklin said as he looked down at his arm, seeing it had been grazed by one of the stray bullets. A small trickle of blood was flowing down his arm. "Oh, crap!"
Franklin ran back to his car, and right into the floating robot named H.E.R.B.I.E.
"I know you didn't sneak out of the apartment to go out crime fighting, because otherwise I'm going to have to go all Max Von Sydow on you, tie to you a bed, and perform an exorcism on you, because demonic possession will be the only excuse I buy for you sneaking out!" the robot said as he saw the grazed bullet wound on Franklin's arm. "Oh. My. God. Your mother is going to have your father build me a pair of robotic testicles just so she can rip them off of me when she sees that."
"It's just a scratch," Franklin said as he put his hand over his arm, ignoring how much it hurt. "A little iodine and a band-aid, it'll be fine."
"Your arm, yes? Your butt, not so much, because a lawnmower named H.E.R.B.I.E. is about to turn it into mulch!" H.E.R.B.I.E. said as Franklin started walking away. The robot floated after him. "As your nanny-"
"Parental appointed protector," Franklin reminded him as he got into his car.
"Whatever you want to call it, my job is to keep you out of trouble, which I'm obviously doing a top-notch job of considering you're coming home all sliced up," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he saw the black and white car sitting in the grass. "Is this thing even road safe? Where did you get it? You don't even have a license!"
"It's Spider-Man's old car. I found it and fixed it up with Uncle Johnny," Franklin told him. "It's completely road safe and…" Franklin paused as he stopped to look at the robot. "Why don't you go bother my sister? She needs a protector more than I do."
"Your family had to leave on an interdimensional mission of peace," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "There was a war about to break out between a guild and a league somewhere; they took your sister with them. Apparently there's a plan for her to infiltrate a Lullaby League before they can pull of some kind of assassination. It gives us just enough time to fix that cut before anyone sees."
"They went on a mission without me?" Franklin asked, trying not to sound hurt.
"I had to cover for you and say you went to the corner store to get some Pez," H.E.R.B.I.E. said. "There was no time to wait for you to get back. Munchkin blood was about to be spilled."
"Pez?" Franklin asked.
"I don't know what junk foods you kids like to put in your body these days, so I just winged it," the robot said. "Now come on, we're going home before that wound gets infected."
"Fine, but then I'm going out again," Franklin said as they drove home. "If my family can go out and have fun without me, then I'm going to have fun on my own."
"Over my dead battery," H.E.R.B.I.E. said.
"You can't stop me from being a hero," Franklin said as the car pulled into the Baxter Building's garage. He pulled into the parking space as H.E.R.B.I.E. turned his head slowly toward his charge. "Don't do that, it creeps me out."
# # # # #
Andy Maguire yawned as he got up out of his bed in Queens. He was 16 years-old, with short strawberry blonde hair, and a scrawny frame. He looked at his blurry vision in the mirror as he put his glasses on and started getting ready for the day. After showering, dressing, and eating breakfast he headed downstairs, hoping to catch his parents before they left for the day.
"Mom? Dad?" Andy asked, seeing they were already gone. He sighed, wishing just once they'd at least say goodbye, or at least acknowledge his existence. He soon headed out to start his daily routine of delivering newspapers. Grabbing his teal ball cap and placing it backwards on his head, Andy jumped onto his skateboard and headed toward the Daily Bugle.
Half an hour later, Andy was making his way down the streets of New York, newspapers in his backpack as he tossed them to their destinations, ducking and dodging the pedestrians when he wasn't weaving in and out of traffic to avoid the cars stuck in traffic.
"Slow down, Maguire!" the officer shouted as he saw Andy coming through. "You're gonna hurt someone!"
"Sorry, Officer Blojobski!" Andy shouted as he continued on his way.
"That's Blokowski!" the officer shouted, but Andy was already out of sight. "Damn kid."
"Alright, Maguire, just one more paper to deliver," Andy said to himself as he stared up at the Baxter Building. "One paper to one large, scary rock monster. I can do this."
Andy headed to the elevator and saw that it was out of order. "Really? What was it this time?"
"Johnny Storm set off a stink bomb while the Thing was coming down," the receptionist said. "We're still trying to renovate it."
Andy just sighed as he weighed the pros and cons of not taking the stairs and just saying he'd delivered the paper. Who was he more scared of: the Thing or Jonah Jameson? Andy just swallowed his fear and started climbing the first of 31 flights of stairs to reach his destination.
# # # # #
"Just cut my arm off. It's less painful," Franklin said as H.E.R.B.I.E. used his robotic arm to apply the iodine.
"After everything you've ever been through, THIS is what makes you cry?" the robot asked him.
"I'm not crying, it's just an observation," Franklin said as he turned and quickly wiped a tear before his parental appointed protector saw.
H.E.R.B.I.E. cleaned the wound and applied a Spider-Man band-aid. "I'm not kissing it, if that's what you're expecting. Now go get into your street clothes while I check out the lab. I'm getting some strange vibrations from your father's equipment."
"Ew, don't say it like that," Franklin said as he got off the table.
Franklin headed to his bedroom and changed into a blue and white baseball jersey, blue jeans, and sneakers as he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door and found Andy on the other side, tired and out of breath.
"Paper... for Ben Grimm," Andy said as he leaned against the door frame, too tired to move.
"Uncle Ben's not here; he's off fighting evil in another dimension," Franklin said as he took the paper. "You going to be okay?"
"Climbed... 30 flights... of stairs," Andy said in between breaths. "Elevator... out... or order."
"You know there are four elevators in this building, right?" Franklin asked with a raised eyebrow as Andy nearly passed out. As he looked down at the paperboy, Franklin suddenly realized something. "Who has papers delivered anymore? Don't we have online news now?"
Franklin returned to the living room with a glass of water for Andy, who was sitting on the couch. Andy took the water and chugged it down without taking a pause.
"You know, Uncle Ben's a really nice guy. I don't know why you're afraid of him," Franklin said as he sat down on the couch. "He always wonders why you take off running when he opens the door. He's like a big ol' teddy bear."
"He's a two-ton rock monster who can tear me apart like a phone book," Andy said as he set the glass down.
"What's a phone book?" Franklin asked.
"Thanks for the water, Frankie," Andy said as he stood up.
"Franklin," the younger man reminded him.
"Yeah, sure, Frankie, I gotta get back to the Bugle and get my paycheck. Got big plans for tonight, hot date and all," Andy lied as he picked up his skateboard.
"Uh-huh," Franklin said as he got off the couch and followed him the door. "I'll tell Uncle Ben not to be so... rock-like next time you bring the paper."
"Franklin, we've got problems!" H.E.R.B.I.E. shouted as he rushed into the room. "Big, big problems!"
"Is that a floating robot?" Andy asked as he looked at Franklin's parental appointed protector, running a hand over him. "Cool."
"Franklin, why is there a strange kid having his way with me?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked. "Kick him to the curb and let's roll, there's something in the lab you need to see."
Franklin looked between the two and smirked. "Actually, my new friend Andy was just asking for a tour of the lab. Come on, new friend, let's go see the lab."
"But we're not-" Andy started to say as he was ushered toward the upstairs lab.
# # # # #
"Your father's been keeping a log of every dimension and zone that he's discovered," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he floated into the lab. "As you can imagine, there's quite a lot of them."
"Dozens?" Andy asked as he looked around, taking in the view.
"Thousands," H.E.R.B.I.E. replied as he floated toward the computer. "Recently he's been establishing contact with a dimension that can help him solve his equation for sliced whipped cream."
"That would be the greatest invention since sliced bread," Andy said. "It was so annoying having to take bites out of a whole loaf."
H.E.R.B.I.E. just stared at him for a few seconds while Andy just stared back. The dead silence continued for a solid five seconds.
"ANYWAY," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he pointed to the screen. "That world is dead. Zero life form readings. This morning there were billions of life forms on that world."
"Maybe they all went on vacation," Franklin said.
"Five billion sentient beings don't just go on vacation and leave their whole planet," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he brought up a new screen. "It's not just that world. Other worlds have started vanishing as well. Some have been cleared of life, others are just vanishing entirely. And it's happening in a straight line."
"And what's at the end of the line?" Andy asked as he looked at the monitor, seeing Earth. "Ohhhh."
"Mom and Dad will handle it when they get back," Franklin said as he made a slushee with one of his father's high-powered machines. "They always do."
"Except we don't know when they're coming back," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "That's not a slushee maker, how did you-"
"Valeria rewired it," Franklin said as he tossed one to Andy. "It only used to do really useless stuff like solving world hunger."
"We need to call the Avengers, or the Defenders, or Howard the Duck, someone capable to getting to the bottom of this," H.E.R.B.I.E. said.
"Oh, sure, I'll just call up Iron Man on speed dial," Franklin sarcastically said as H.E.R.B.I.E. handed him the phone, then slowly getting really close to Franklin's ear.
"It's #3," H.E.R.B.I.E. whispered.
# # # # #
45 Minutes Later
"Seriously? Every hero in New York is too busy to look into this?" Andy asked as he sat on the counter.
"Yeah, apparently inter-dimensional travel is something no hero wants to do," Franklin replied as he leaned back against the wall. "Punisher said he'd do it, but I couldn't make the promise that he could kill something."
"What about that Dr. Strange dude?" Andy asked.
"Couldn't reach him, he's having one of those astral projection deals," Franklin said as he closed his eyes to think. "And Wong was too busy drawing a moustache on him to help me reach his astral form."
"Then we're out of luck until your family gets back," Andy said as he looked at his watch. "And I really need to get going. That hot date and all. Good luck on finding-"
"I'll do it," Franklin said as he opened his eyes, cutting Andy off. "I'll go check out what's making these worlds vanish."
H.E.R.B.I.E. started laughing, then just as quickly stopped. "No."
"I'm not going to confront whatever it is if it's dangerous. I'll just see what's happening then come right back," Franklin said. "We don't have time. Whatever's coming could be intending to kill everyone on the planet."
"Come right back? This isn't a trip to the corner store to get your precious Pez," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "This is interdimensional travel! If something goes wrong, you could be lost!"
"He's right, Frankie," Andy said as he finished his slushee.
"Thank you-" H.E.R.B.I.E. said.
"You should take some people with you to back you up," Andy continued as he took one last annoying slurp through the straw. "Get a group together. Safety in numbers."
"-for being a complete idiot," H.E.R.B.I.E. finished.
"But every hero is busy, where do I find a team?" Franklin asked as he looked between Andy and H.E.R.B.I.E., getting a devilish grin.
Andy and H.E.R.B.I.E. just looked at each other, before saying in unison "HELL NO!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Hey, readers and writers of M2K, it's me, Tobias Christopher (it better be, I'm using his computer). I hope you enjoyed the first issue of New Warriors and want to thank everyone at M2K for giving me a shot at writing this title.
A few things:
- I know this isn't the traditional New Warriors line-up, but I felt that the team members I'm working with here will offer fresh interactions and a fun ride throughout the Marvel Universe. I'm going to try to make this series as fun as I can. Yes, there will be dark moments, but I hope to keep this title one of the fun books of M2K.
- Yes, once again Franklin is aged up to a teenager. Poor kid must feel like a yo-yo by now. I love the character of Franklin and felt that he needed to be slightly older to be more a functioning member of a team he's putting together.
- I'm aware of people's feelings for Mr. Maguire, but I hope that as time goes on, people see that the M2K version of Andy Maguire will be a far cry from what we've seen in the Marvel Universe at this point.
I hope everyone comes back for #2 because I had a lot of fun writing this issue and hope to keep writing this title into the far future!
- Tobias Christopher
Home to the Fantastic 4
and Spider-Man
and the Avengers
and the Punisher
and... that's a lot of heroes running around New York, isn't it?
My name is Franklin Richards. My dad is Mr. Fantastic; my mom is the Invisible Woman. My uncles are the Human Torch and the Thing. But me? I'm just a mostly powerless fifteen year old kid, thanks to a psychic inhibitor my dad put in my head when I was younger. It was meant to keep my powers in check so I wouldn't destroy reality or something. I still have some powers, just not enough to make a difference or stand out among people who can turn themselves into ice, control the weather, or talk to squirrels.
Some day, that's going to change. I'm going to be a great hero, and not just the son of one. I just have to find a way to stand out among the big guys. But we all have to start our heroic journeys somewhere. Mine begins here...
Franklin was standing on a rooftop early that morning, using a pair of binoculars to look out over the city. He was wearing one of Johnny Storm's old Fantastic 4 costumes, a black and blue suit with the 4 logo removed. His hair was blonde and shaggy, and constantly kept falling into his eyes. He brushed it back and continued to look out for danger, which wasn't too far away.
The police scanner alerted him to a pair of bank robbers headed his way. He rushed down the fire escape to reach his pride and joy: the old Spider-Mobile that he'd found in the junkyard. After a lot of hard work to get it running again, and a paint job to make it match his costume, it was ready for action. The bank robbers sped past just as Franklin's small car zoomed out of the alley after them.
"Hey, Donnie, you ain't gonna believe this," the second bank robber, Mark, said as he looked in the rearview mirror. "We're being tailed by... I don't know what we're being tailed by."
"We'll lose him," Donnie said as started swerving through traffic. "No one's catching us today!"
Franklin saw what they were doing and swerved to keep up. "Want to play rough, huh?" he asked as he flipped a switch on the panel to activate one of the new features that was designed for the car. The front bumper became magnetized, pulling him closer to the robber's vehicle.
"He's catching up!" Mark shouted as Donnie rolled down his window and started shooting.
"Uh-oh," Franklin said as he pushed another button, sending a bullet proof shield up, repelling most of the bullets back towards the robber's car. One of them struck the tires as the car hit the curb and started flying through the air. "Okay, this could be bad."
Franklin pushed a button, shooting a large webbing past the robber's car and between two trees, catching it before it could hit the ground.
"Yes!" Franklin shouted as his car came to a stop and jumped out of the car to make sure no one was hurt. "Another crime thwarted by Franklin Richards! Wow, I really need a code name."
"FRANKLIN BENJAMIN RICHARDS!" a voice shouted from not too far away.
"Oh, crap," Franklin said as he looked down at his arm, seeing it had been grazed by one of the stray bullets. A small trickle of blood was flowing down his arm. "Oh, crap!"
Franklin ran back to his car, and right into the floating robot named H.E.R.B.I.E.
"I know you didn't sneak out of the apartment to go out crime fighting, because otherwise I'm going to have to go all Max Von Sydow on you, tie to you a bed, and perform an exorcism on you, because demonic possession will be the only excuse I buy for you sneaking out!" the robot said as he saw the grazed bullet wound on Franklin's arm. "Oh. My. God. Your mother is going to have your father build me a pair of robotic testicles just so she can rip them off of me when she sees that."
"It's just a scratch," Franklin said as he put his hand over his arm, ignoring how much it hurt. "A little iodine and a band-aid, it'll be fine."
"Your arm, yes? Your butt, not so much, because a lawnmower named H.E.R.B.I.E. is about to turn it into mulch!" H.E.R.B.I.E. said as Franklin started walking away. The robot floated after him. "As your nanny-"
"Parental appointed protector," Franklin reminded him as he got into his car.
"Whatever you want to call it, my job is to keep you out of trouble, which I'm obviously doing a top-notch job of considering you're coming home all sliced up," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he saw the black and white car sitting in the grass. "Is this thing even road safe? Where did you get it? You don't even have a license!"
"It's Spider-Man's old car. I found it and fixed it up with Uncle Johnny," Franklin told him. "It's completely road safe and…" Franklin paused as he stopped to look at the robot. "Why don't you go bother my sister? She needs a protector more than I do."
"Your family had to leave on an interdimensional mission of peace," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "There was a war about to break out between a guild and a league somewhere; they took your sister with them. Apparently there's a plan for her to infiltrate a Lullaby League before they can pull of some kind of assassination. It gives us just enough time to fix that cut before anyone sees."
"They went on a mission without me?" Franklin asked, trying not to sound hurt.
"I had to cover for you and say you went to the corner store to get some Pez," H.E.R.B.I.E. said. "There was no time to wait for you to get back. Munchkin blood was about to be spilled."
"Pez?" Franklin asked.
"I don't know what junk foods you kids like to put in your body these days, so I just winged it," the robot said. "Now come on, we're going home before that wound gets infected."
"Fine, but then I'm going out again," Franklin said as they drove home. "If my family can go out and have fun without me, then I'm going to have fun on my own."
"Over my dead battery," H.E.R.B.I.E. said.
"You can't stop me from being a hero," Franklin said as the car pulled into the Baxter Building's garage. He pulled into the parking space as H.E.R.B.I.E. turned his head slowly toward his charge. "Don't do that, it creeps me out."
# # # # #
Andy Maguire yawned as he got up out of his bed in Queens. He was 16 years-old, with short strawberry blonde hair, and a scrawny frame. He looked at his blurry vision in the mirror as he put his glasses on and started getting ready for the day. After showering, dressing, and eating breakfast he headed downstairs, hoping to catch his parents before they left for the day.
"Mom? Dad?" Andy asked, seeing they were already gone. He sighed, wishing just once they'd at least say goodbye, or at least acknowledge his existence. He soon headed out to start his daily routine of delivering newspapers. Grabbing his teal ball cap and placing it backwards on his head, Andy jumped onto his skateboard and headed toward the Daily Bugle.
Half an hour later, Andy was making his way down the streets of New York, newspapers in his backpack as he tossed them to their destinations, ducking and dodging the pedestrians when he wasn't weaving in and out of traffic to avoid the cars stuck in traffic.
"Slow down, Maguire!" the officer shouted as he saw Andy coming through. "You're gonna hurt someone!"
"Sorry, Officer Blojobski!" Andy shouted as he continued on his way.
"That's Blokowski!" the officer shouted, but Andy was already out of sight. "Damn kid."
"Alright, Maguire, just one more paper to deliver," Andy said to himself as he stared up at the Baxter Building. "One paper to one large, scary rock monster. I can do this."
Andy headed to the elevator and saw that it was out of order. "Really? What was it this time?"
"Johnny Storm set off a stink bomb while the Thing was coming down," the receptionist said. "We're still trying to renovate it."
Andy just sighed as he weighed the pros and cons of not taking the stairs and just saying he'd delivered the paper. Who was he more scared of: the Thing or Jonah Jameson? Andy just swallowed his fear and started climbing the first of 31 flights of stairs to reach his destination.
# # # # #
"Just cut my arm off. It's less painful," Franklin said as H.E.R.B.I.E. used his robotic arm to apply the iodine.
"After everything you've ever been through, THIS is what makes you cry?" the robot asked him.
"I'm not crying, it's just an observation," Franklin said as he turned and quickly wiped a tear before his parental appointed protector saw.
H.E.R.B.I.E. cleaned the wound and applied a Spider-Man band-aid. "I'm not kissing it, if that's what you're expecting. Now go get into your street clothes while I check out the lab. I'm getting some strange vibrations from your father's equipment."
"Ew, don't say it like that," Franklin said as he got off the table.
Franklin headed to his bedroom and changed into a blue and white baseball jersey, blue jeans, and sneakers as he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door and found Andy on the other side, tired and out of breath.
"Paper... for Ben Grimm," Andy said as he leaned against the door frame, too tired to move.
"Uncle Ben's not here; he's off fighting evil in another dimension," Franklin said as he took the paper. "You going to be okay?"
"Climbed... 30 flights... of stairs," Andy said in between breaths. "Elevator... out... or order."
"You know there are four elevators in this building, right?" Franklin asked with a raised eyebrow as Andy nearly passed out. As he looked down at the paperboy, Franklin suddenly realized something. "Who has papers delivered anymore? Don't we have online news now?"
Franklin returned to the living room with a glass of water for Andy, who was sitting on the couch. Andy took the water and chugged it down without taking a pause.
"You know, Uncle Ben's a really nice guy. I don't know why you're afraid of him," Franklin said as he sat down on the couch. "He always wonders why you take off running when he opens the door. He's like a big ol' teddy bear."
"He's a two-ton rock monster who can tear me apart like a phone book," Andy said as he set the glass down.
"What's a phone book?" Franklin asked.
"Thanks for the water, Frankie," Andy said as he stood up.
"Franklin," the younger man reminded him.
"Yeah, sure, Frankie, I gotta get back to the Bugle and get my paycheck. Got big plans for tonight, hot date and all," Andy lied as he picked up his skateboard.
"Uh-huh," Franklin said as he got off the couch and followed him the door. "I'll tell Uncle Ben not to be so... rock-like next time you bring the paper."
"Franklin, we've got problems!" H.E.R.B.I.E. shouted as he rushed into the room. "Big, big problems!"
"Is that a floating robot?" Andy asked as he looked at Franklin's parental appointed protector, running a hand over him. "Cool."
"Franklin, why is there a strange kid having his way with me?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked. "Kick him to the curb and let's roll, there's something in the lab you need to see."
Franklin looked between the two and smirked. "Actually, my new friend Andy was just asking for a tour of the lab. Come on, new friend, let's go see the lab."
"But we're not-" Andy started to say as he was ushered toward the upstairs lab.
# # # # #
"Your father's been keeping a log of every dimension and zone that he's discovered," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he floated into the lab. "As you can imagine, there's quite a lot of them."
"Dozens?" Andy asked as he looked around, taking in the view.
"Thousands," H.E.R.B.I.E. replied as he floated toward the computer. "Recently he's been establishing contact with a dimension that can help him solve his equation for sliced whipped cream."
"That would be the greatest invention since sliced bread," Andy said. "It was so annoying having to take bites out of a whole loaf."
H.E.R.B.I.E. just stared at him for a few seconds while Andy just stared back. The dead silence continued for a solid five seconds.
"ANYWAY," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he pointed to the screen. "That world is dead. Zero life form readings. This morning there were billions of life forms on that world."
"Maybe they all went on vacation," Franklin said.
"Five billion sentient beings don't just go on vacation and leave their whole planet," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he brought up a new screen. "It's not just that world. Other worlds have started vanishing as well. Some have been cleared of life, others are just vanishing entirely. And it's happening in a straight line."
"And what's at the end of the line?" Andy asked as he looked at the monitor, seeing Earth. "Ohhhh."
"Mom and Dad will handle it when they get back," Franklin said as he made a slushee with one of his father's high-powered machines. "They always do."
"Except we don't know when they're coming back," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "That's not a slushee maker, how did you-"
"Valeria rewired it," Franklin said as he tossed one to Andy. "It only used to do really useless stuff like solving world hunger."
"We need to call the Avengers, or the Defenders, or Howard the Duck, someone capable to getting to the bottom of this," H.E.R.B.I.E. said.
"Oh, sure, I'll just call up Iron Man on speed dial," Franklin sarcastically said as H.E.R.B.I.E. handed him the phone, then slowly getting really close to Franklin's ear.
"It's #3," H.E.R.B.I.E. whispered.
# # # # #
45 Minutes Later
"Seriously? Every hero in New York is too busy to look into this?" Andy asked as he sat on the counter.
"Yeah, apparently inter-dimensional travel is something no hero wants to do," Franklin replied as he leaned back against the wall. "Punisher said he'd do it, but I couldn't make the promise that he could kill something."
"What about that Dr. Strange dude?" Andy asked.
"Couldn't reach him, he's having one of those astral projection deals," Franklin said as he closed his eyes to think. "And Wong was too busy drawing a moustache on him to help me reach his astral form."
"Then we're out of luck until your family gets back," Andy said as he looked at his watch. "And I really need to get going. That hot date and all. Good luck on finding-"
"I'll do it," Franklin said as he opened his eyes, cutting Andy off. "I'll go check out what's making these worlds vanish."
H.E.R.B.I.E. started laughing, then just as quickly stopped. "No."
"I'm not going to confront whatever it is if it's dangerous. I'll just see what's happening then come right back," Franklin said. "We don't have time. Whatever's coming could be intending to kill everyone on the planet."
"Come right back? This isn't a trip to the corner store to get your precious Pez," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "This is interdimensional travel! If something goes wrong, you could be lost!"
"He's right, Frankie," Andy said as he finished his slushee.
"Thank you-" H.E.R.B.I.E. said.
"You should take some people with you to back you up," Andy continued as he took one last annoying slurp through the straw. "Get a group together. Safety in numbers."
"-for being a complete idiot," H.E.R.B.I.E. finished.
"But every hero is busy, where do I find a team?" Franklin asked as he looked between Andy and H.E.R.B.I.E., getting a devilish grin.
Andy and H.E.R.B.I.E. just looked at each other, before saying in unison "HELL NO!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Hey, readers and writers of M2K, it's me, Tobias Christopher (it better be, I'm using his computer). I hope you enjoyed the first issue of New Warriors and want to thank everyone at M2K for giving me a shot at writing this title.
A few things:
- I know this isn't the traditional New Warriors line-up, but I felt that the team members I'm working with here will offer fresh interactions and a fun ride throughout the Marvel Universe. I'm going to try to make this series as fun as I can. Yes, there will be dark moments, but I hope to keep this title one of the fun books of M2K.
- Yes, once again Franklin is aged up to a teenager. Poor kid must feel like a yo-yo by now. I love the character of Franklin and felt that he needed to be slightly older to be more a functioning member of a team he's putting together.
- I'm aware of people's feelings for Mr. Maguire, but I hope that as time goes on, people see that the M2K version of Andy Maguire will be a far cry from what we've seen in the Marvel Universe at this point.
I hope everyone comes back for #2 because I had a lot of fun writing this issue and hope to keep writing this title into the far future!
- Tobias Christopher