X-men 2099UG #2

Desdemona Synge is in her early thirties, and frankly, she doesn't know where all the time went.

Or rather, she does know, but chooses not to think about it. Her youth was a detached one. Father was busy raking in millions and bleeding the desert for all it could give. Mother was dead. Des' childhood was one of utter loneliness and complete opulence, as her dad kept her neck-deep in possessions and money. Perhaps to compensate for his constant absence, but most likely just to keep her out of the way.

Her brother Lytton was her personal tormentor. Born, she thought, with a cruel streak miles wide. Des' only relief from him came when their father would take him on business trips. Attempting to groom Lytton into an extension of himself. A part of her hated how much attention Lytton got, but another part of her was secretly glad to be divested of the responsibility. While daddy was planning Lytton's future out for him, Des still had hers.

She kept herself in school during her adolescent and teen years. She didn't have to. Father's wealth grew by the minute, almost negating the need to get an education and a job. Common sense told her to keep with it, though, she needed all the advantages she could get. Although she wasn't all that sure why.

During her mid-twenties, Des, for lack of a better term, was exhausted. Things weren't changing, Lytton had executive control over half of the Synge business empire, and Des had since seen her father for the heartless man that he was. They ignored Des completely, thinking she was content with her life, and more than happy to keep her out of the way.

The seeds of resentment, and the strain of what she saw as being inactive for so long took their toll on Des, and she simply gave up. Taking solace in indulgence for the first time in her life, she fell in with all the wrong crowds, did all the wrong things, abused her wealth like so many nameless people had before. It didn't feel quite right, but it was a much easier way to live life, and much faster.

Before Des knew it, years had gone by. She was 30 and, in a moment of lucidity, looked back on her life. She had accomplished nothing. All the work she had put herself through...the smart woman that she had been...it was all since gone. The realization hit her hard, and she took to her indulgences harder than ever.

Then things changed. In an instant, it seemed. Father was dead, seemingly killed by a mutant named Xi'an Chi Xan, self-proclaimed leader of a band of mutants calling themselves the X-men. Lytton had been the real cause though and only she knew it. Half the ownings were hers, and, with deft manuevering, all of it would be. It was as if her life had decided to flip completely upside down. All those years of work would finally mean something.

And so it went. The mutant was cleared of charges, the X-men had been pacified, and Lytton was stripped of his inhertance. Everything was hers, finally***.

***X-men 2099 (regular series) #3

Back then, she had not though too much of the X-men. All she knew was that they were an important, and supposedly impressive, mutant group during the Heroic Age. She knew that through the years, other bands of mutants had sought to take the X-men mantle onto themselves. She also knew that those groups rarely lasted too long. The X-men that had been in the casino, HER casino, that day would be scattered to the wind in a year, she had thought. Hardly worth fussing over.

And so it came to be a very interesting twist of fate when, a year later, she found herself petitioning them for help.

It had all started when she found herself battered and left to die in the Nevada desert. A maniac named Halloween Jack and his friend, an X-man named Meanstreak, had taken over her casino. In a desperate gamble to re-assert her control, she turned her shriek-addicted brother Lytton into an enormous muscled monster. Controlling him through a neural spike, she set out to oust Jack. She failed. Jack had won once more, and exiled them both to the desert. Des was left alone with her long-time tormentor, a man who now had super strength***.

***X-men 2099 (regular series) #16-21

It was while she was walking back to civilization that she realized how majorly the X-men figured into her life. They had brought about the opportunity for her to gain control of the Synge financial empire. Although unwittingly. And then, with but a single member, they had taken it away. It was then that she began to take them seriously.

Luck had been with Des back then in the desert. She had stumbled upon a couple Thorites doing manual equipment checks on sat-link dishes in Nevada. Luck had it that they were there when Des came along. She collapsed from exhaustion in front of them without a word. When she came to, she was in a hospital, tired but alive.

She played with the thought that perhaps everything wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Jack had taken over the casino, but she was still alive, and not without resources. She could still take back what was hers.

That was before she found out that Vegas was closed. Surrounded by President Doom's EMP's, it had become a wasteland of fluctuating reality. None of it made any sense to her. Who was this Doom? What was an EMP, and why were they around the city? And what in the name of Thor was Virtual Unreality? How could so much have changed in so little time?

With Vegas gone, Des found she had all the time in the world to think and mull over her situation. It seemed hopeless though. She still had much of her wealth, but no base to build on. Vegas, for all intents and purposes, had practically been given to her. Either through her father or through her own machinations. It was a fact that she had taken for granted. Now her long-time foundation was gone, and she was a small fish in a big pond once more.

Then word came of the X-men and, some would say, a revolutionary new city. Halo City was an egalitarian paradise, equal opportunity for all, one city, united under Doom. The X-men were its saviors, its Protectorate. It was certainly a unique venture. And when she heard of the X-men's involvement, they suddenly became all the more serious a group to her.

The opportunity was there, though. A brand new city, and a leading body of mutants of whom she was notorious with. The mutants had giveth, and the mutants had taketh way. Des would make them give again. They owed her that much, she thought.

"We don't owe you a damn thing!", Tim yelled in an incredulous tone. "You want half pay for work you haven't even started yet?"

"That WAS what we had discussed, Fitzgerald," Desdemona replied calmly, her face conveying no certain emotion, in stark contrast to Tim. She sat in the X-men's board room in Halo Tower across from Tim, her back to the wide full-length window that allowed an unfettered view of the city below. Three weeks ago, she had contacted him about rebuilding the section of the city that had been demolished during the skirmish a month ago. The news reports she had read told of two mutants, one named Exodus, the other named Dust, slugging it out with each other over some business about a "Mutant Messiah". Des hadn't cared to read about the specifics, all she knew was that after the two nutcases had finished with each other, a city was left in ruins. It was the perfect opportunity.

"I said we'd iron that issue out later, in person," Tim spoke, his emotional outburst fading, but a sheen of annoyance remaining. "You're not going to be able to strongarm the City Council into giving you that. The city treasury is down to sticks and stones as it is. There's no money to give to non-essential contracts right now."

"Non-essential?" Desdemona stood up, motioning to the city outside. "Rebuilding the heart of your city is non-essential?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a gap in the Halo City skyline. A jagged circle that should have contained buildings, dwellings, shapes, SOMETHING. But instead, nothing, as if someone had shot an arrow through the heart of the city. To the citizens of Halo, she supposed, it probably was a grim reminder of what could happen if a city full of mutants couldn't live peacefully.

"Non-essential," Tim stressed. "Meaning outside interests. The Council can allocate city resources to reconstruct."

"But not in time, and not as cheap as I can. Or I wouldn't even be here, would I?"

"All I'm saying is that you shouldn't push too hard," Tim conceded. "If you do, they'll reject the contract."

Desdemona raised an eyebrow, giving Tim an almost sultry look. "Do you honestly think it will come to that?"

Tim didn't answer, Des continued. "You know they won't, Fitzgerald." Des got up and began to walk around the room, glancing lazily out of the window. "This city is struggling, it's completely unique, a city devoted to equality and the better traits of mankind."

Des turned to Tim. "Whoever heard of such a thing?"

She turned back to the window. "And a city full of people with fantastic powers...well, not counting the ugly mutants...of which I'm glad that you aren't." Des gave Tim a smirk as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "You're trying to remain a free state in a country, in a world, run by megacorps. You're trying to remain democratic. You're trying to preach tolerance in a world that has never been at peace with itself. These are all admirable ambitions, but frankly, I'm surprised Halo City has survived as long as it has. You need help from the world outside. And I'm your best choice."

"That's a very nice speech, Des," Tim said, standing. "Dry run for the Council?"

Des smiled at Tim. He was strikingly handsome for someone so...scruffy. That white face paint on him had to go, though. "Precisely. How was it?"

"Pretty good. A little threatening, but you get your point across, I think."

"This is what you suggested this meeting for, right? To prep me for when I go to the Council?", Desdemona said, walking back over to the table, and Tim. "Or do you just enjoy the pleasure of my company?"

A good-natured smile appeared on Tim's face. "I wouldn't assume that far."

"You did invite me here." Desdemona sat down on the table next to Tim, her legs crossed, one foot dangling carelessly in the air.

Tim took on a more serious tone. "Because I don't think you're the money-grubbing-human-exploiting monster Henri made you out to be."

"HE's casting aspersions on ME? I'm not the one who counted Halloween Jack as a close friend!"

"Henri may have some rough edges..."

"So do you, it seems, what's with you and the walking ghost?"

"Walking ghost?", Tim said quietly before Desdemona interrupted again.

"Luna, I think her name is?"

"Leave her out of this."

Desdemona giggled abruptly, "Fine by me."

An annoyed scowl appeared on Tim's face, "Anyway, as I was GOING to say, he may have a few rough edges, but he knows what's right and what's wrong. He has a good heart. I think you do, too, Desdemona. That's why I agreed to this."

Des cocked her head to one side. "Timothy Fitzgerald, your trust in me is positively flattering." She hopped off the table walked over to Tim, stopping mere inches away from his face. Tim frowned. "Almost adorable," she continued.

Without warning, Tim heard the whoosh of a door opening. "Tim, the Tower computer said you..," Luna stopped abruptly, catching sight of Desdemona. "...in here." Unonsciously, a slight snarl appeared on Luna's lips.

Desdemona turned to Luna, all smiles. "Hello Ms. Lunatica. Or is it simply Luna? You are almost impossible to respectfully address with such an abbreviated name. Tim and I were discussing the Halo rebuilding contract."

"Alone?", Luna asked, an edge in her voice, towards both of them.

Desdemona answered before Tim could open his mouth. "Usually I would have a bodyguard with me. But I don't think Tim could bring himself to harm me." Desdemona turned her head to Tim. "Right?"

Tim frowned. "I think we're done here for today."

"Yes, I think so too," Desdemona said, walking towards the door. Luna's eyes narrowed in anger, following Des as she left.

Entering the door, Des turned abruptly, facing Tim. "It was quite a fulfilling session, Fitzgerald. I'm looking forward to further meetings." Smiling, she left the room, the door sealing shut behind her.

"Stupid twist," Luna growled softly, her body tensed. Suddenly she felt Tim's soft touch on her shoulder.

"Don't let her get to you, babe," Tim said, turning Luna around to face him. "It only encourages her."

"Am I supposed to let her flirt with you directly in my presence?", Luna asked. "She's a spoiled child who thinks her money entitles her to anything she sees."

Tim smiled. "Including me?"

"ESPECIALLY you. I'll bet she thinks you're halfway in her pocket already," Luna said, walking with Tim out the door.

"Huh."

"ARE you?"

"I'm yours, Luna, goes without saying. Besides," he said, his eyes suddenly aglow with fiery green energy, miniature sparks dancing all around him. He smiled at Luna. "I don't think she could take my heat."

*     *     *

Halo City's Market District cuts into the city in the shape of a crescent moon. Beginning at the waterfront, where citizens can stroll peacefully along the boardwalk. The lapping ocean on one side, rustic one-story stores on the other side. A journey further in reveals an expansive square of green. A park ringed with shops and eateries. A place where the people outnumber the vehicles 20 to 1. The stores spread out from the green in concentric circles, becoming larger and larger as they get closer to the high-rises of the inner portions of the city.

The Market District was conceptualized by a man who knew that the citizens would need a respite from the overwhelmingly cramped style of the metropolitan residential buildings. That there should be a place in Halo where people can relax, lay on real grass, and be able to look up at the sky. Perhaps buy a snack, or talk with friends on the waterfront. To forget themselves for a while and have a chance to buy something that didn't come from a megamall.

Of course, if the hustle and convenience of the malls were your thing, you could always oblige yourself at the Haloplex Mall...across the city from the Market District.

As it stands, the man who dreamed up the tranquility of the Market District probably did not realize just how many people would be attracted to it. Some came for nostalgia, some came for relaxation, some came just because they wanted to. Whatever the reason was, the Market District was always bustling, even on rainy days.

As it also stands, the man responsible for the Market District probably did not realize how easy a target it was.

*     *     *

Lazlo is an old man, he comes to the Market District everyday. He lives nearby in the low-rise retirement apartments. Sometimes he comes just to sit and feel the breeze from the ocean. Sometimes he comes to just walk and think. Lazlo has seen a lot in his lifetime, he is one of billions of people who have watched the world plunge into darkness and then drag itself out again, only to emerge as something heartless and cold. A world where you become a megacorp statistic or risk yourself at an Indy. Lazlo likes the fact that he's ended up in Halo, his only desire being to live out the rest of his days in peace.

Today Lazlo has come to purchase some fruit from one of his favorite vendors. A small fruit emporium that carries organically grown food. They know Lazlo there, a nice, mostly quiet old man who never seeks to cause any trouble. Lazlo's been around, some things he knows are certainties. The sun is yellow. Oranges are orange. Apples are mostly red. And apple carts aren't supposed to fly through the air.

Imagine Lazlo's surprise when he sees that last certainty broken.

"RUN LITTLE ONES! LITTLE BAGS OF FLESH RUNNING AS FAST AS THEY CAN. SEE IF YOU CAN RUN FASTER THAN SHE-HULK!", a monstrous voice coming from the center of the green spoke. Standing hunched over on the grass was an enormous woman. Every part of her seemed to be a muscle. Standing ten feet tall and covered in thick sinewy muscle, bulging veins ran all over her. Her face had a frenzied, fevered look on it, as if she was powered solely on rage. Her skin was green in places, but never for too long, she seemed to change color depending on how light was reflecting off of her. Rippling from green hues back to fleshy tones.

The woman clenched her fists, bellowing, "RACE FOR YOUR LIVES! FIRST ONE SHE-HULK CATCHES LOSES!" As if to illustrate her point, she slammed a roundhouse kick into a nearby tree, snapping it in two. Hoisting the tree into her massive arms, she threw it like a javelin at the retreating crowd of people. It hit a parked car 100 meters away, the lone occupant of the car just managing to scramble out of the car to safety as it crumpled under the force of the flying tree.

"What the shock is going on here?", a lone figure yelled out, having just come into view of the green. The She-Hulk turned her head to spot the source of the comment, seeing a man clad in a Guardian uniform. She knows that people in this uniform are supposed to stop her. She was told this. Somehow. Somewhere. She knows she must stop this person before it stops her.

So she ran after it. Her feet pulverizing the ground under her, kicking up dirt and debris. Her teeth set in a snarl.

Fear painted the Guardian's face as he dove out of the way of the She-Hulk. Unable to stop, she crashed head on into a clothing outlet store.

Quickly, the Guardian tapped the communicator on his wrist, sending a priority signal to Headquarters. Drawing his gun, he cautiously walked towards the crumpled store.

"Is anyone hurt in there?", the Guardian yelled out. He received no reply. Inching closer, he called out once more, seeing no sign of the beast that almost trampled him.

Suddenly, what remained of the shattered store front blew outward toward him. Chunks of masonry and synthwood pelted him as he screamed out in pain and surprise. As he fell to the ground, nursing his wounds, a massive shadow crept over him.

He flipped over quickly, only to see the She-Hulk staring right at him. Instinctively, he drew and firesd. A great flash, followed by the familiar sound of air being sliced by a laser shot, barreled from the gun. The smell of ozone wafted in the air. The blast hit the She-Hulk dead center, but she was still standing.

"You...you were supposed to be.....hurt," the Guardian stammered.

"IT TICKLES."

*     *     *

Allen Martin Croix thinks that mutants are troublemakers, and he means that from the bottom of his heart.

"Oh sure, they're just like John Q. Human fundamentally," you might hear him say to you. "The exception being that John Q. Human can't bite through steel, throw buildings around, or turn into something you'd use to power your toaster."

It's a statement which Allen would use to catapult himself into telling people why the Guardians exist. He would give all sorts of reasons. From the obvious to the obscure. Though in the end he would close with one statement.

"Because we're needed."

And he would be right, being the Captain of the Halo City Guardians and all. They are needed. For lots of big reasons. The biggest one of them all now tearing the Market District to bits. One can imagine what he would do when he got to the scene of the altercation.

"What's the situation?", he would ask one of his lieutenants already at the scene.

"We have a super-human destroying property around the Market District green. Witnesses report that she appeared about five minutes ago," the lieutenant would say, obeying orders like every good lieutenant should do.

In turn, this would lead the captain to ask, "Do we have an idea of what...she...is exactly? Enhanced human? Mechanical? Mutant?" He's being very prudent, the captain, sizing up the enemy's capabilities before confronting it.

However, the lieutenant... "We don't know, sir. We've only gauged her abilities so far. Super strength and speed, increased mass, fluctuating skin discoloration, and a hide thick enough to laugh at our stun settings."

"Why haven't you used a genetic scanner?", the captain would ask. To which the lieutenant would say...

"That's a good question, sir," as he reached for a genetic scanner. Fully illustrating why the captain is the captain and the lieutenant is the lieutenant.

The captain is just being certain of his opponent. There's a chance that the lumbering behemoth that has brought them to the Market District may be an android, a robot, or something that could be just as easily taken care of.

The beeping of the genetic scanner the lieutenant is holding does not sanction his hopes however. "Target is a mutant...homo sapien superior, sir", the lieutenant said.

This is the part that the captain hates, because now he has to leave it all up to fate. The mutant has to be taken down, she's busting up perfectly good storefronts after all. But with mutants you just can't tell what will work with them. You could overcompensate and give it to them full force. Only to end up killing someone who looked much tougher than they actually were. And the Guardians, especially their captain, aren't there to kill. Such moral conundrums aren't an everyday part of the Guardians life, but they're still there way too often for anyone's comfort.

In any case, the captain must still make a decision, which he does by telling his lieutenant, "Deploy the Guardians to the perimeter of the green. Set your weapons to the first kill setting, that should at least stagger her."

To which the liuetenant would respond with an affirmative and head over to a grouping of lower-rank Guardians and issue them their orders. Telling one of the officers to send out a clarion signal notifying the occupants of the Market District to vacate the premises immediately. The protection and safety of the civilians comes first in his mind, which is why he's the lieutenant and they're the officers.

You would be correct in assuming that while the lieutenant is issuing orders to the officers, the captain is up to something else. And if we were to peek in on the captain while he's doing this something else, we would most likely find the captain taking out a weapon that is highly illegal in Halo City. It's called a neural disruptor, and while the average citizen would be, should be, apalled at the possession of such a weapon inside the city, for the Guardians, it's sometimes a necessity.

The neural disruptor is a deviously simplistic weapon that is devilishly difficult to defend yourself from. Once fired, a volley of electric energy is launched towards the target, attuned specifically to target their neural system and synaptic pathways. It's supposed to take them out in a single shot. Of course, the average weapon is also supposed to do that. But whereas those mostly concentrate on getting to the mind through physical pain, the neural weapon bypasses all of that. It is horribly effective. Once a target is hit, they go down. For an instant their mind stops working, completely halting whatever destructive activity may have been occuring. It can also be quite messy, especially since the body loses all muscle control during that instant. The heart skips a beat, blood vessels in the nose tend to burst, and the bowels empty themselves.

Imagine the captain's thoughts on using a weapon like this on someone almost three times the size of a normal human.

*     *     *

"Is the perimeter secure?", Captain Croix asked the lieutenant, moments after the public warning clarion sounded in the Market.

"Everyone is in place, we're ready to move in and close the circumference," Lieutenant Markson responded.

"Excellent, give the order...," the captain said, interrupted by the sound of screaming.

"HELP!", screamed a Guardian officer, running towards the captain from the green. Behind the officer, a large figure stormed after him.

"Officer Jenson?", the lieutenant said, catching sight of the She-Hulk. "Good lord! What in the name of Thor is THAT?"

The captain crouched, "A MagTram with teeth. What does it LOOK like, Markson? Open fire! That thing is gaining on Jenson, we need to give him some time to find cover."

"MORE TOYS FOR SHE-HULK TO PLAY WITH! DO THESE BREAK TOO?", the She-Hulk bellowed.

Without another word, Markson let loose a barrel of energy from his sidearm, hitting the rampaging mutant squarely in the face.

"NNNEARGHH!", the She-Hulk let loose a deafening scream before falling to the ground, halted in her rampage.

"Good shot, Markson!", the captain exulted as Jenson ran up to them.

"Boy am I....really glad....to see you guys...," Jenson said in between gulps for air.

"You did good, Jenson," the captain said. "Don't ever presume that you can take something like THAT on alone."

"I don't think...you'll have to lecture...me on that...sir," Jenson gasped, his arms supporting themselves on his knees, he spit on the permacrete beside him.

"She's up again, sir!", Markson suddenly exclaimed. "Think another round would take her down?"

"Not yet, Markson. Let me try my way first," the captain said, pulling out the disruptor. Jenson's eyes went wide.

"You're really going to use that?"

"It's either this or a lot of running, Jenson."

"Sorry Captain, it's just...I'm not sure even that will stop her."

"Sure it will," said the captain, hoisting the disruptor up to eye level and aiming.

"YOU HIT SHE-HULK FROM A DISTANCE," She-Hulk said, her voice resounding everywhere as she picked up a large rock on the green. "SHE-HULK CAN DO THAT TOO!" The massive boulder went flying from her arms and toward the captain.

They barely had time to dive away when the rock impacted in front of them, spraying shards of permacrete and dust everywhere.

"You guys alright?", the captain called out, sitting up.

"I'm fine," Jenson responded.

"Same here," Markson replied. "But you better use that disruptor before she finds another rock."

"That's a good...oh dear..."

"What is it?"

"I dropped it when that rock came at us," the captain said, picking up a twisted and mangled piece of metal. "And it would seem that the disruptor wasn't nearly as lucky as we were."

*     *     *

"I don't know, Tim. I just don't know about it."

"I think it's a good idea."

Tim sat on a ConformaCouch in the middle of his quarters. Luna was pacing the floor in front of him. It had been something of an unexpected pleasure when she called him in the middle of his day. He had been sitting in his quarters reviewing Desdemona Synge's contract proposal. He should at least go over it once, he thought, since he was practically sponsoring her. At least once. That was the goal, and if he could just stop napping off in the middle of reading it, he might accomplish that goal.

"I wish it was you that could do it, Tim, you're the only one..."

"You can't trust Shakti?", Tim interrupted, leaning forward.

"I...well that's what I don't know."

"Babe, come on, how long have you been an X-man? You know these people, you know Shakti. Sure, you're not too social, but you know they're good people and they won't hurt you."

Luna stopped pacing and sat down on the couch beside Tim. For a minute, she said nothing, staring ahead. "It's just that...everything is completely different now," Luna said, turning to Tim. "Sometimes it's hard to accept it. Even after all this time."

"I know. Things just go faster and faster these days. A year ago I was a street urchin with no hope for the future and a deathly fear of my own mutant powers. Now look at me. Not only do I have a home. I have a whole CITY! Well...sort of anyway," Tim smiled.

"I'm sorry, Tim."

"What?"

"For that day in the Darkroom. Making you relive the death of that girl."***

*** X-men 2099 (regular series) #4

"Reiko...," Tim's face turned melancholy at the thought of her. The love of his life, killed when his powers flared outward. Those were depressing days for him, he knew. Going from city to city, searching for a reason to live. It seemed that life itself had turned against him. Like it wasn't enough that being a mutant made him hated and despised by most of the people around him. But to lose a woman who had trusted her heart to him, who hadn't even known he was a mutant. It was too much to bear.

Tim turned to Luna. She had made him relive all that pain and anguish. All for her own hunger and the yearnings of a sadistic master.

But like Luna had said, everything was different now. Luna, his life, the X-men...it was all changed. For the better, he thought. Sitting next to him was someone who had caused him great hurt, he could destroy her right now.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I could spend the rest of my life hating you, you know," he said softly to her. "If it wasn't for the fact that I love you." Luna turned her head up at him, staring into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Timothy," she said to him solemnly.

He squeezed her gently. "I'd say you're making it up with interest."

For a while, they just laid there in each others arms, looking at one another. Tim seeing the woman in his life that he had come to love. A woman who by all right he should despise. Luna seeing the man who made her whole. Who reminded her that she was human, and wanted not because of her abilities, but simply because of who she was.

"So are you going to see Shakti tomorrow?", Tim asked.

"Do you want me to?"

"It's not if I want you to, Luna, it's if you want to. You said yourself that you've been having memories resurface in your dreams. If it's bothering you, you should go to her. Shakti can help you."

"It all comes back to what I said before, about everything being different. A year ago, if someone was going to pick through my mind, it was because they wanted to hurt me."

"You know that's not the case anymore."

"I know. But it's hard to let those defenses down."

"You'll find a way. You're the strongest woman I've ever known."

"Are you just saying that because I tossed Meanstreak against a rockface once?"

"Well there's that, too," Tim smiled. Suddenly, drawing Tim closer, Luna kissed him. He returned it fully, content in the moment.

"PROTECTORATE SIGNAL SKULLFIRE! PROTECTORATE SIGNAL LUNA!", Tim and Luna's badges sounded.

Tim drew back from Luna. "Should have known that would happen." Luna smiled.

*     *     *

"So who's the tall glass of water busting up Ye Olde Favourite Candy Shop?", Sham asked the Guardian Chief Allen Martin Croix.

"Calls herself 'She-Hulk'. Won't STOP calling herself that, actually."

"Any reason why she's on a rampage?", Krystalin asked.

"None at all that we can discern. It's a pretty clear-cut case, really. Bad guy doing bad stuff, good guy come in and make them stop," Chief Croix responded.

"Why us?", Sham asked.

"We've run out of neural disruptors."

"What?", said Krystalin.

"Heh. Little Guardian in-joke for ya. What I mean is that we don't want to deploy full force against her because it might kill her. We tried to shut her down with a neural disruptor..."

"Which are illegal to possess in Halo City..."

"For anyone but me, thank you very much. Anyway, she crunched it to pieces before we got a chance to use it. So I just figured that I should call you guys in so you could go at it. A mutant tete-a-tete, if you will."

"Because it's a mutant thing, Captain?", Krystalin asked, a tinge of sarcasm in her words.

"Because you have much better control over the gauge, ability, and range of your powers. In my opinion, you have a much better chance at bringing her in without the guilty party getting permanently damaged."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Sham said. "Mayhaps you should apologize to the good Chief for your imperious PC tone there, Krys?"

"You're right, I'm sorry Chief."

"S'alright, Ms. Ogada. Now where's the rest of your team?"

The whine of two sky cycles suddenly made itself known overhead. Krystalin nodded in their general direction. The Chief smiled back. "Ask and ye shall receive?", he said.

"Something like that," Sham responded. The sky cycles descended slowly beside the others, Tim and Luna both expressionless. "So what's the status?", Tim asked the Chief, powering down his vehicle.

"She's tearing up the Market District. We can nail her with our weapons, but they only stagger her a bit and make her madder, which seems to make her able to recover from the weapon blast all the more quicker. We're holding a perimeter around the green and the surrounding stores but I wouldn't count on that lasting any longer than a few minutes."

"So brute force won't work on this particular occasion?", Luna asked.

"We'll have to fight to contain then, guys," Tim said to the team. He turned to the Chief. "Where is she now?"

"A block down that way," the Chief said, pointing. "The area should be clear of bystanders."

"Right. Thanks."

*     *     *

"SHE-HULK KNOWS YOU. YOU'RE THE SHINY ONE. SHE-HULK WAS TOLD TO MAKE YOU STOP GLOWING!"

He really hoped this worked, Tim thought as he stood there, scant feet away from the She-Hulk. Green energy coruscated and danced wildly all around him. Some of it he was actually absorbing, the rest he was holding there just to look tougher. People tended to take real live glowing skeletons seriously.

"Stop your rampage now and you won't be harmed," Tim said, it didn't look like a simple warning would even work, but he might as well give her the option.

"SHE-HULK WAS NOT TOLD YOU WERE THE FUNNY ONE," she said, breaking into a run towards Tim. Immediately, a solid beam of green electrical fire shot from Tim's clenched fists. It hit the She-Hulk directly on the legs, tripping her up.

"Krys! Do it!", Tim yelled. Crouching behind a nearby tree, Krystalin stepped out and rasied her hand. A sheath of porous crystal enveloped the She-Hulk, imprisoning and pinning her to the ground.

Tim turned to Krystalin as she walked toward him. "That'll hold, right?"

"It should. I can make it thicker if you're really worried about..."

Suddenly the She-Hulk's newly-made crystal sarcophagus flipped over. Even through the hard crystal casing, they could hear her screaming in rage.

"How did she do..."

"Krys! Get down!", Tim yelled, diving to cover Krystalin as the crystal broke into a hundred pieces, shooting chunks of one of the hardest elements on Earth all over the area.

Crystal pieces pelted Tim and Krystalin mercilessly, knocking them out of the fight.

"TIM!", Luna yelled, running towards his unconscious body.

"SHINY MAN STILL GLOWING. SHE-HULK CAN FIX THAT."

Like lightning, Luna dived in front of the She-Hulk, landing a fierce right cross across the She-Hulk's face.

"Don't...," Luna delivered a blow to She-Hulks' ribs with her knee.

"...ever...," jabbed her hand into She-Hulk's neck.

"...touch...," drove a gut punch into the She-Hulk.

"...my...," clenched her fists together, uppercutting the She-Hulk with the force of a hurricane.

"...MAN!", Luna finished, grabbing the She-Hulk by her shirt, rolling onto her back, and throwing the monstrous mutant through the air in one smooth motion.

"Holy smokes!", the Guardian Chief Croix said, watching from a distance. Wide-eyed, he turned to Lieutenant Markson. "She's on OUR side, right?"

Luna rolled up back onto her feet and ran over to Tim's body. "Tim? Tim wake up." Tim groaned softly, but did not respond. Seeing she couldn't get him up, Luna swore under her breath.

"I'm not strong enough to beat her on my own, Tim," she said softly to his unmoving body.

"Luna!", Sham yelled, coming up beside Luna. "That great big human kaleidoscope is getting up again."

Luna looked up to see the She-Hulk rising up from the rubble of a storefront Luna had inadvertently thrown her into.

"REAAAAAAARGH!", the She-Hulk thundered, picking up a door and preparing to hurl it at the X-men.

"Hey! That's not her property! Although it looks like it's about to become ours," Sham said.

Luna's eyes perked up. "That's it." Luna stood up and turned to Sham. "Sham, if you were a merchant and you had to guard your merchandise with Kamikaze Shock failsafes, what do you think you'd be selling?"

"What?"

"If you were selling expensive merchandise. So expensive you had to rig it with an electrical charge so no one would steal it."

"I dunno, electronics or something. Vidgear, c-space toys, motorcycles. Big stuff."

"Okay. Can you create an illusion of the She-Hulk?"

Sham looked in the She-Hulk's direction. "When I have so obvious a frame of reference, sure."

"Do it."

Without another word, the light and space in front of the She-Hulk began to bend and shimmer. Colors and shapes coalesced into an exact light replica of the She-Hulk. Puzzled, She-Hulk dropped the door.

"SHE-HULK WAS NOT TOLD ABOUT YOU..."

"Good," Luna said to Sham. "Now taunt her and lead the hologram over to an electronics depot."

"Is there one?"

"Er..," Luna said, looking around the green quickly. "I think..." She stopped, finding a small storefront still untouched from the She-Hulk's rampage that fit the criteria. "Yes. Over at the north corner of the green. Let's get over there."

Sham and Luna ran over to the store, Sham using her mastery over light and sound to taunt the real She-Hulk.

"SHE-HULK CAN'T EVEN BEAT TINY HUMANS. CAN'T EVEN CATCH THEM!", the hologram said. She-Hulk growled.

"SHE-HULK DOES NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE. BUT SHE-HULK KNOWS SHE HATES YOU!" The She-Hulk lunged for the hologram, which retreated with her every advance. Taunting with every near-miss, backing further and further away from Tim and Krys, and closer to Luna and Sham.

"Make the hologram bigger," Luna said to Sham as the She-Hulk neared the store.

The hologram increased twice in size, dwarfing the She-Hulk. "TINY SHE-HULK WILL NEVER BEAT ME!", the hologram bellowed.

"Now, back it up all the way to the front of the store," Luna ordered Sham. The hologram retreated. "And make it tiny now."

The hologram reduced itself in size. "SHE-HULK CAN NOT EVEN BEAT ME WHEN BIGGER THAN ME! HAH!"

With a frustrated roar, the She-Hulk lunged toward the hologram with full force. It vanished upon impact as the She-Hulk smashed into the storefront, crunching the walls in, scattering the insides of the store all around, and activating the security measures of a dozen or so pieces of electronic hardware.

Without warning, seven Vidsets melted their insides and channeled 20,000 volts through their systems and into the nearest conductor: the She-Hulk. The She-Hulk screamed as fire seemed to run through her body. She twisted and flailed around, hoping to hit whatever was causing her such pain, to make it stop the only way she knew how to. A couple brief seconds went by before the She-Hulk flumped to the ground unconscious, her massive body smoking.

"Whoa," Sham said, getting a look at the spectacle. "Think this is one for the 'win' column?"

"I'd say so," Luna responded, smiling. "Although if this was a battle we lost, I wonder how good a battle we won would feel?"

"I'll go get the Guardians in here to clean everything up and transport her to the Tower. Think Tim would want her for questioning?"

"I believe it's the law around here, Sham."

"Just asking, Luna, just asking."

*     *     *

"You can wail on that force field all you like, She-Hulk, but you'll only tire yourself out," Krystalin said, looking up at the monstrous mutant who called herself the She-Hulk for some undiscernable reason.

Not that Krystalin hadn't tried to discern that, along with many other things. A real name...a reason for all the destruction...a coherent sentence. Anything at all! Instead, all of Krystalin's attempts at interrogation were met by a thundering of fists against the imprisonment field.

The field itself was an adjustable cube consisting entirely of energy, it hovered four feet above the ground and twenty feet from the nearest wall. Krystalin stood right next to it, not fearing an escape from She-Hulk at all. The force field took whatever force was assailed against it and automatically upped its strength to equal twice the amount of the force doled out. The force field settings were set high as it were. The She-Hulk wasn't going anywhere.

Krystalin had been there for hours, trying several different tactics to get the She-Hulk to spill some info. Some of the more devious tactics came from her time as the teenage daughter of the leader of the Oakland Panthers. Although here they had accomplished nothing. The mutant just kept battering at the force field. Stopping only occasionally to try a different spot to hit. Any questions or pleas were met with an angry roar. And with Krystalin having to stare at the She-Hulk's constantly shifting skin coloration...from flesh to green to flesh to green to...well, Krystalin was about to turn green herself.

Exhausted, Krystalin tried one more avenue of interrogation. "She-Hulk, if we release you, will you supply us with information?" The monster did not listen to her, so Krystalin repeated her plea. She had never seen an interrogation where the captors pleaded with the captor. Still the She-Hulk ignored her.

Krystalin sighed and rubbed her temples, that pounding was getting to her. Resigned, she touched her comm badge. "Contact Protectorate member Skullfire," she spoke to it.

"Any progress, Krys?", Tim's hollow voice answered back over the comm.

"None at all. I'm going to quit for the day."

"At all? Not a single thing?"

"The She-Hulk just doesn't answer. She just keeps pounding on her cell. She's been doing that non-stop for hours. It almost seems that her anger makes her stronger."

"That may be an aspect of her powers, you never know, Krys."

"We can get the medical team to answer that question. As for the interrogation, we'll have to wait for the She-Hulk to calm down."

"Are you sure? We could always get Shakti to do some psi-diving in her mind..."

"Tim..."

"I know, I know, it's against the law. The DeMiranda rights. We spent so much time as outlaws that sometimes it's hard to remember the rules."

Krystalin became wistful, memories of the not-so-distant past running through her mind. A more free time, certainly. "I know. I'm going to get some sleep now."

"Sweet dreams, Krys."

*     *     *

"I've done some checking around and...," Desdemona Synge pressed the clicker in her left hand and a new chart appeared on the viewscreen. "Fiscally, Halo City can't afford anything more than me for this project." Desdemona gave a level look to the four council members in front of her. They were in a small conference office of the Council President. All of them sat, with Desdemona stationed next to a viewscreen in the wall. She was giving her presentation to the four people sitting in front of her.

"No one is arguing that you are the lowest bidder, Ms. Synge," the Council President said, her hands folded in front of her face. Her name was Emma Collins, she had been the one who won out over Morphine Somers in last year's election. Since then she had spent most of her time getting the City Council into shape to meet the needs of a growing mutant metropolis. It was twice the work a normal Council, especially since most City Councils didn't exist in cities this size, but she was up to it. She had met her personal deadline: a working Council by the end of the century. Then two madmen named Dust and Exodus has demolished a sizable portion of the city. Obviously, her work was cut out for her. "It's just that our apprehensions," she continued. "Are based on the fact that you are the daughter of the late Noah Synge, a man who was notorious for milking the downtrodden for all they could give. And in a city where these 'downtrodden' have a chance to live like they should be able to, we're just not sure you're the right moral choice for the job."

"I am not my father, Mrs. Collins," Desdemona responded, an edge of anger in her voice.

"That may be, but you did continue his work after his demise, didn't you?"

"If you mean that I kept the casino hotel running, then yes. But these atrocities that you are assuming I continued did, in fact, NOT continue under my possession of the estates and properties."

"You must have lost a substantial amount, if not all, of your wealth when Las Vegas was closed, Ms. Synge," a man to the President's right spoke up. His name was Gordon Ballew, the man who had been running the makeshift Council before Emma Collins was elected and it all became official. Despite the office's urging, he didn't run for Council head, content to merely be the second-in-command, working out of the spotlight to make sure everything was running smoothly. He was also a low-power mutant. Although it was hard to believe an X-factor gene existed under the paunchy frame, male pattern baldness, and wrinkled looks that old Mr. Ballew consisted of. "Why did you come to Halo?", he asked.

"You've answered your own question there, Mr. Ballew. I'm a business woman, with the closing of Las Vegas, I need to seek out new ventures and contracts. I'm also quite against megacorp intrusion into cities with already-established economies. Halo is not so lucky in this aspect. You're still a fledgling city, and a ripe picking ground for any corp that chooses to turn its eye towards you."

"Choosing me to rebuild the city," Desdemona continued. "Sends a message to any corp coming to gain a foothold. That Halo City will not tolerate such intrusions and will gladly seek out other competent alternatives. And besides, the one good thing that came out of my father's business contracts was his constant rebuffing of the corps. The name of Synge carries that stigma with it, and the corps know that."

"But what's to gaurantee that we aren't swindled in the process?", the President asked.

"I could give you my word," Desdemona responded. "But that would mean little in this day and age. And with something of such importance on the line, your caution is understandable. I can give you this offer, though. If the Council wishes it, they can send a representative to join my operations. They will have access to the work files, orders, and payroll statements."

The President's eyes perked up in disbelief.

"I see you know how rare an offer that is, Mrs. Collins. Nevertheless, I extend it, in hopes that we can forge a strong business relationship, and that we can continue to profit from each other for years to come." Desdemona stood up. "My presentation is finished, I'll leave the details of the contract here for you to study. I expect word from you in no more than five business days."

"Thank you Ms. Synge, have an excellent stay here in Halo," Ballew said, drawing up the contract files and nodding at Desdemona.

"Mrs. Collins, Mr. Ballew, council members, have an excellent day," Desdemona said, leaving curtly and quickly. Her manner betraying none of her apprehensions.

*     *     *

Desdemona was ordering a meal when her door chime rang.

"Identity of persons entering," Desdemona said to the small sublet's computer console in front of her. "Edward Blumenthal", the computer's tone answered back.

Desdemona got up and pressed the unlock key in the door panel. The door swished open revealing a short man with a cap of black hair on his head. It seemed slicked to his head, thick strands of it jutting out at random intervals. He was a rail of a man. As if he was built to fit in a giant test tube. He was a Council member, and one of the people who had been present at her meeting with them early today.

"Come in Edward, I trust you have not come here unless it was important?"

"The Council has made a decision. It was voted, 3 to 1, your contract has been accepted," Edward said, almost seeming to spit out the words in random stutters. He was an ackward man. Yet what he lacked in social graces he made up for in sheer skill. He was the city treasurer and numbers were the closest thing he had to friends. His skill with the Halo budget seemed almost magical, so much that he was tested to see if his skills were the cause of a latent mutant ability. They weren't, the man was just plain smart.

"Really? Who voted against me?", Desdemona said, sitting down in a chair and motioning for Edward to sit.

"Actually, I did. I didn't...well I didn't want to give the impression that I was under your thrall or anything..."

Desdemona perked an eyebrow up. "ARE you?"

"Um...no," Edward gulped.

Desdemona sighed. "If you were the one who voted against me then how do you expect them to choose you as my consultant?"

"Well I think they'll do that anyway since I'm the treasurer and such."

"We have to be positive about this, Edward," Desdemona said, leaning forward slightly. "I know that Halo City can't afford even me, but you know that I'm simply the best choice for the job. Hell Edward, even the X-men are on my side! I need you as my consultant. You're the only one who can make sure that both parties get what they want and deserve."

"A rebult Halo and a Desdemona Synge with her pockets full once more?"

"Exactly."

*     *     *

He has a nice life, Orlan Ramanos thinks as he walks along the street. An old-fashioned guitar case in his right hand. Inside it was a handmade acoustic guitar, the kind that classical musicians played. His dad had had one that had been passed down throughout the centuries and he taught Orlan how to play it when he was a kid. Orlan was so enraptured by the fact that he could create music so simply that it simply has been all he's ever done with his life.

After a nice night of minstreling on the street corner, Orlan was walking home to the large apartment he shared with his dad and sister. He worked with the Armageddon Choir as a sound tech during the day, pursuing his own musical interests in the off hours. His own guitar was homemade, his father had taught him how.

As Orlan rounded the street corner, he smiled. The apartment complex was in view, he was almost home.

Without warning, a voracious vortex opened in the space in front of him. It was larger than he was, and abhorred a vacuum, sucking in anything close to it. Orlan didn't even have time to scream as he was sucked in. As his body met the tear in space, Orlan caught a glimpse of the other side. There was something there waiting for him...something...

The vortex closed up just as quickly as it appeared. Orlan's guitar clattered to the ground, dropped in the sudden commotion.

Minutes later, the vortex opened once more, frightening passing pedestrians with its sudden arrival. A limp body fell out of it as the vortex closed up once more. All over the body, blood vessels were hemorraghed, covering it in blue webs of veins and dark red splotches. The clothing was all rumpled and blown. The eyes had a vacant stare in them.

Orlan never stood a chance.

Next Issue: A seemingly invincible threat ravages Halo City as Shakti delves deep into Luna's past. What exactly is resurfacing in Luna's mind? And why is she so afraid of it?