Maverick Effect - part 1 "Hunting Party"
by Gary Hamrick Jr.

Ricardo Ramirez finally understood the saying "You can't go home again". Better known as the costume crime fighter El Diablo, Ricardo had chosen this evening to begin this very attempt. His girlfriend, Estella, had suggested that he take a few days off of saving the world and turn his attention to cleaning up some of the gang fighting in the very Barrio where he had spend his adolescence.

Some things had not changed about The Barrio. Most of the shops were still in some semblance of thriving. The kids were still playing stickball in the street in the late, humid afternoon. Ricardo had spent most of the afternoon in his hero identity organizing a clean-up effort of some of the local gang vandalism. The rest he spent incognito in his civilian identity doing what he was doing now: enjoying a much needed break from the influx of super-powered, Energy X fueled criminals that had made Freedom Force such a valued commodity in Patriot City.

The problem began just after sunset. Two gangs from outside areas and two gangs that had been rather active in the Barrio started up activities with each other. Their activities had nearly turned to an all out turf-war by the time Ricardo emerged onto the street as El Diablo. Two hours later, most of the fighting had settled down. Casualties were not been common. Especially not when he was leading the gang that he had the head of a gang in his youth. Ramirez glanced at the newspaper. More race riots in Detroit. At least it was not that bad here.

He wound up in the alley where he and his amigos had been the night he was struck by the Energy X. At the end of the alley was a group of people who at first could've been mistaken for homeless people in the shadows. A closer look revealed that these "homeless people" would have been costumed.

"Who are you?" asked El Diablo in his heavy Latino accent.

The seven figures rose but said nothing. As they neared the light, he could make out something else about them. A few of them were armed. He readied a fighting stance and lit his fist on fire. The figures paid him no attention but continued closer. El Diablo lunged at one of them but found himself passing through them.

"This is not our 1960s, is it?" one of the strangers, a female, asked, "I don't recall costume super-heroes in our past."

"Consider us, Ember," another of them, a guy who was wearing a variation of some old school baseball gear responded.

"Besides," said a second guy in old school football gear said, "I think you brother is off on one of his mental wandering again."

The black-shirted man in the gray coat who was clearly their leader turned. He said nothing but reached into his coat and pulled a glowing purplish orb from it. He then smiled slightly as he illuminated the area around them.

"The phasing one worked," he muttered, seemingly not having been paying any attention to his comrades, "Let's try the teleport one."

With that, he threw the purple one onto the street. The orb exploded and suddenly El Diablo saw what looked like reality itself being distorted around them. It lasted only a second or two as they had vanished. *

Hours later, The Freedom Fortress.

"Where is Minuteman?" El Diablo asked as he hurried into the room.

"He, and Mentor are offering their assistance to the Patriot City School System for the rest of the week," Alchemiss answered with a clearing of her throat as she worked the computer and read one of her strange books.

"I just saw the strangest thing down in the Barrio last night," El Diablo exclaimed as he rushed in, "Some costume people and when I went to approach them, I passed right through them and then . . ."

"What are you babblin' about, sugah?" Alchemiss asked.

"We have new visitors in Patriot City," Man O' War said as he rushed in, "Sea Urchin and I saw these two lads dressed in an armored baseball and American football uniform roughing up some thugs down at the Wharf last night."

"Sounds likes the same people I saw," El Diablo concurred.

Microwave entered the room; "Unit has detected no new readings of Energy X in the last 48 hours. Unit did detect three temporal disturbances in the last twenty-four hours. No evidence as to a cause. Unit attempted to investigate but found nothing. "

"Interesting," El Diablo replied.

"Shall we investigate then?" Alchemiss asked as she put her book down.

"Unit concurs affirmatively," Microwave said. *

Downtown . . .

Two of the seven strangers acquired themselves some street cloths that would help them blend in with the locals. Their leader, The Journeyman was clad in a gray sports coat and led them toward the park briefly where they could take note of their current situation. His sister, Ember, found herself in "hippie" attire that seemed to suit her or so her brother had suggested.

"What exactly is going on here?" Ember said, "This is not "our" 1960s. Those thugs that Grandslam and Touchdown hit at the pier last night, they said they were assisted by two more costumed types."

"Yes and no," Jon replied, "It is our world, look at the paper. Certain differences though suggest this is a slightly divergent reality."

"We should not be out in the open like this," a young woman dressed in white and silver said to them as she approached, "Did you not say it was dangerous to be out in the open in the midst of unknown enemies?"

"I don't think I said that at all," The Journeyman replied to the woman often referred to as Silver Dragon, "You've been far too many military reference books."

"I have a lot of time to catch up on," Silver said in her defense.

"She's got a point," Ember said, "Both about being out in the open like that and about her having a lot of history to catch up on. We do not know the intentions of that costumed guy last night. Until we do, it's best to be on our guard. Talos and Jerad are out there somewhere too. I imagine the Muses are with Jerad too."

"Welcome to the 1960s then, Silver," The Journeyman said to her, "Though I suggest we find you a new civilian name. It would wise to use our civilian names unless we are in costume."

"Ember does not have one," Silver said sarcastically.

"Technically I do," Ember corrected, "Ember was not my birth name. Jon started calling me Ember because he kept saying Amber wrong."

"Oh," she said, "I shall conjure up such a name then. One different than the name I used back in the days of the Court."

"Good, I doubt people would believe you were a female trying to become a knight in the Middle Ages. Especially in this era and atmosphere. Now, let's find somewhere to lay low and get a message to the others about meeting up," The Journeyman said, "I am still trying to figure out how to work some of my new a abilities."

Ember laughed at her brother as the trio walked off. "We already have a meeting place. You were playing with your new toys while we discussed it." *

Still elsewhere . . .

"I have been here less than a day and I already hate it," a tall man in armor thought aloud, "Just as well though. It was a bit earlier than I intended but just as well."

He looked down into the parlor of the Victorian mansion that until twenty-four hours ago had been vacant for generations. There were people who had already heeded his inquiry for thugs. If he were going to make his plan succeed then he, Talos, would need some local help.

To be continued...