A tale of fire, frying pans, warped mirrors,
burned bridges, and shades of grey
Author's Disclaimer: John Carlton, Anna Mayfaire, Misfire, Maelstrom, the
Vertigo is the main character in this story, plus the Marauders, Mr. Sinister, and a surprise guest star. Threnody and Nate Grey are also mentioned.
This story contains some strong language
Program, and the word "telekinetipath" are mine, more or less. Other than that, Marvel owns these characters and the basic setting. I'm not trying to steal Marvel's toys, harm them, or make a profit from 'em. I'm really not worth suing, so please be kind. Do not archive without my permission.
I believe in nothing / Never really had to
In regards to your life / Rumors that are not true
Who's defending evil? / Surely never I
Who would be the witness / Should you chance to die...?
-- Chance by Savatage
Why? Well, because. Because I wanted to write about someone no one has ever bothered to write about before. I think I succeeded. How GOOD it is, I don't know...but it's different, I hope. I got to wondering about these particular characters' "blank slate" lives, and when I did some digging and found out that the slate wasn't as blank as I thought, well, I got to thinking... (That, and I can't stomach the assumption that our government would be so utterly clueless as to NOT know about these bastiches.) Blinded by the glamorous glare of spandex and superpowers, we tend to forget that even the most unredeemably evil have at least SOME humanity...we underestimate the abilities of the non-superpowered branches of law...and we overlook the fact that most SPBs can be taken down by a bullet or a speeding car as quickly as any ordinary human.
I can be reached at kielle@aol.com -- drop me a note! I want to hear your opinion, good or bad or deranged. I worked on this baby for MONTHS, so I'm not choosy.
Note: There's a dash of "bad" language and there may be some gore, but other than that it should be acceptable for most readers. Some of the early parts take place around the events of X-Man #13 (which I only picked up because it had Madelyne Pryor AND the Marauders in it, woo-hoo!) and there's some mention of ye olde Mutant Massacre, but other than that don't worry y'self about continuity, I've got it all covered.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Laersyn and Kitarra for their patient plot assists; to my dear husband, who put up with my constant brainstorming and random "listen to this!" attacks; to Chris Kallemeyn to his first-hand dock-worker experience; to Tapestry, who agonized through my teasers, and Asparagirl, who firmly believes that I can write ANYTHING; to whoever it was who said "Hey Kielle, why haven't YOU written an epic?"; to my wonderful beta readers: Kristina Sennvik, Laurent, Link, and anyone else I missed, because I lost my dratted notes; and to Savatage, who provided some awesome "mood music" during the writing of this and other pieces. And most of all to Chris Moore, who knows exactly why.
Boy, doesn't Kielle like to hear the sound of her own voice? ;) Let's get on with this, shall we?
| TITLE | IN SHORT |
| PROLOGUE | A secret meeting leads to the discovery that perhaps the government knows more about the marauders than they let on... |
| Chapter 1 | The Marauders embark on a simple mission to bring down a mutant and get more than they bargained for, while Vertigo struggles with half-remembered dreams. |
| Chapter 2 | The aftermath of a Marauder mission; ever wonder what it's like to come back from the dead? It's standard operating procedure for these guys...well, for most of them... |
| Chapter 3 | Does Vertigo have the guts to make the biggest decision of her obedient little life? What could possibly push her to that edge? And does she really think that she'll get away with it...? |
| Chapter 4 | The government is closing in. All they need is one little slip on the Marauders' part...and just who do you think is on the verge of making the biggest "slip" of her life? |
| Chapter 5 | On the loose in Baltimore, all Vertigo thinks she has to worry about is her rumbling stomach and her vengeful ex-teammates. She's dead wrong. |
| Chapter 6 | Who's our surprise mystery guest? Your first guess may seem impossible, but hang onto it, because I'm just getting started. Do you folks remember the Mutant Massacre? Oddly, Vertigo DOESN'T... |
| Chapter 7 | Finally, the origin of Vertigo...not like you ever wondered before, but if you've come this far in this particular story then surely you're just the least little bit curious... |
| Chapter 8 | Will one of Vertigo's myriad enemies catch up to her while she's helpless, or will she survive to run again? |
| Chapter 9 | Yipe! Arclight! Which means that the rest of the remaining Marauders aren't far behind. |
| Chapter 10 | If Vertigo can get through Sinister's initial team interrogation, can she really expect to escape detection for long? There might be a slim chance of a way out...if she's brave enough and smart enough to take it. |
| Chapter 11 | Vertigo versus the Marauders (or what's left of them, anyway)! Is this the end of our, er, heroine? |
| Chapter 12 | The final showdown! Will Vertigo live or die? Read this shock suprising ending and find out! |
| Epilogue | A few loose ends to be tied up...and you may yet be suprised. |