[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/klHHPfB.png?1[/img][/center]
[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/222583180807372800/600042989678624819/sxjaw84.png[/img][/center][center][b]Pacific Point[/b][/center]
[center][b]Several Days After the Fall of the Hounds of Humanity[/b][/center]
	Amanda James found few things more relaxing than sitting in a retractable chaise lounger while listening to the waves crashing against the shore. While today was a prototypical Southern California day, peace and tranquility was not on the horizon.

	“Dude, I’m telling you, Blood Spider is the most underrated villain that Spider-Man has ever faced. He’s a truly nuanced character that hasn’t been given the right story yet.” Mike told Andy as Karen tried to ignore the conversation. Although she didn’t find the topic all that invigorating, the fact that she’s heard this exact exchange no fewer than forty times made it all the more tedious.

	“Mike, you also said that Maximum Clonage was the single greatest arc ever written. That right there…”

	[b] “Kills any credibility you might have had.” [/b] Karen and Andy finished the sentence simultaneously. 

	“They never stop, do they?” Izzy said as she opened the cooler and took a sparkling water. 

	“Nope.” Amanda said plainly, “But I think it’s kinda cute.” 

	Izzy just shot Amanda a perplexed look, then put her earbuds back in and went back to ignoring Mike and Andy, at which she had begun to get quite proficient. Amanda on the other hand, found the entire thing amusing. While Mike and Andy were both passionate about their fandoms, Karen was indifferent to it, and Izzy annoyed by the constant conversations revolving around web slingers, sonic screwdrivers, and lightsabers. 

	“Hey babe, can you rub some sunscreen on my back?” Mike asked as he removed his Deadpool shirt revealing his pale white skin.

	“Oh, hon...I don’t think you need any sunscreen. You’ll be fine.” Karen said sarcastically.

	“Please. If I were any whiter, my name would be Casper.” Mike protested.

	“I don’t know dude, Casper might have you beat by a couple of shades. You’re pretty pale.” Andy said.

	“Jar of Mayo pale.” Karen chimed in.

	“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m pale...I know. I can’t help it, I’m Irish. I have two shades, Friendly Ghost and overcooked lobster. Would you please just rub the damn sunscreen on my back?” Mike said, visibly annoyed. 

	Amanda just leaned back in her lounge chair and sunk her teeth into the large Italian sub that she had gotten at PacPoint Deli and Bistro on the way to the beach. Though Mike and Andy could be somewhat annoying from time to time, Amanda was glad that they had started hanging around more often lately. She didn’t have all that many friends due to the amount of time she spent at work, and that was before she became a superhero. Besides, after all the terrible things she had seen in recent weeks, a return to normalcy was just what she needed right now.

	Suddenly, there was an uproar from the other beachgoers. At first, the five friends continued with what they had been doing moments before. However, as people gathered around to look up at the sky, it soon became impossible to ignore. On the blue background of the sky, the following letters had been written with the exhaust trail of a small aircraft:

[i]Slipstream, meet @ Stern Tower[/i]

	Around these letters, the aircraft that had written this message flew about. However, it was too small to be any sort of plane. Because this object was so high up in the sky, the onlookers on the beach could only see an indistinguishable speck. Once the message had been relayed, the small craft zipped away.

	Amanda looked up at the message with a blank expression. She didn’t know what this was about, but she had a good idea as to who it was that had sent her this message. If Amanda were to be totally honest, this was the last thing that she wanted to deal with today. Only a few short days ago, she had been up to her eyeballs in Hounds of Humanity thugs, and had seen some things that would haunt her until the day that she died. All she wanted was a nice relaxing day with her friends without any major crises arising that needed her attention. Unfortunately, it was clear that she was not going to have that today. 

	She went to take another bite of her sandwich, and in doing so, she made eye contact with Izzy, who was, and presumably had been staring at her for several moments. She met Izzy’s gaze with a look that silently said “I’ve got this.” before she got up from her beach chair. 

	“Hey guys, I gotta run. I just got a text and I have to go meet someone about a gig.” Amanda said as she wrapped her sub in the wrapper and replaced it in the cooler.

	“Oh hey, no fair. I thought you said no work stuff today.” Andy protested. 

	“I know, but this could be a big deal.” Amanda said as she started to make her way back toward the parking lot.

	“At least let me give you a lift.” Andy called after her, but she pretended not to hear him and made her way through the crowded beach up to the parking lot and out of sight. 

	Once Amanda thought that it was safe to do so, she zipped away from the beach’s public parking area. She just had one quick stop to make, and then she’d meet her “mystery friend” at Stern Tower. As she was caught completely off guard by the sudden “invitation” to meet, she hadn’t brought her costume. So before she could go to the tower, she had to make a quick stop at her apartment. Fortunately, the detour only took seconds, and with a supersonic change of clothes, she was on her way to Stern Tower. 

	In the blink of an eye, she had arrived at the tower, and she could see the sun reflecting off of an object that was touching down on the roof of the tower, so Slipstream rushed toward the building and began to run up the side. It was a risky move, as she had only done this once or twice before, and never on a building as tall as this one. One misstep, if she lost her traction for a fraction of a second, and she would be a greasy stain on the sidewalk below. Fortunately, neither happened and she made it safely to the top of Stern Tower, where she found herself standing face to face with the very person she had expected to find: The Iron Knight.

	“You rang?” She said as she waited to find out what this was all about.

	[color=c0c0c0]“It was more like I sent you a note, but I guess that idiom works, too,”[/color] Iron Knight half-jokingly told Slipstream. [color=c0c0c0]“Anyways, we have business to discuss.”[/color] 

	“Then, let’s discuss. What can I help you with?” Slipstream retorted.

	[color=c0c0c0]“A legion of hyper-intelligent apes are plotting to conquer the globe and I’m gathering a team to stop them,”[/color] Iron Knight explained. He was lucky that had a helmet covering his face, because he could not say that with a straight face. And he even had a hard time keeping his voice’s tone from betraying him.

	“A legion of whatnow?” Slipstream said, unable to hide the shock in her voice. “And I can help how?” 

	[color=c0c0c0]“Giant monkeys who are smarter than the average bear. Of course my I.Q. is higher than theirs, but that’s beyond the point,”[/color] Iron Knight continued, not believing that Slipstream would take him seriously. [color=c0c0c0]“I had an emergency meeting with the big blue boy scout and we decided that we need to form a more permanent team. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, to steal a copyrighted phrase.”[/color]

	“Wait...so there’s no monkeys?” Slipstream asked before immediately wishing she hadn’t. Granted, with everything going on in the world these days, spider women, flying strongmen, and death lasers in space, a legion of super intelligent apes didn’t seem like that much of a stretch. However, the second half of his statement really caught her attention.

	“A team?” Slipstream asked earnestly. 

	[color=c0c0c0]“Once you took the bait, it was too good of an opportunity to just drop it,”[/color] Iron Knight explained his false report of a primate invasion. [color=c0c0c0]“But I wasn’t lying about my meeting with Icon. We want to put together a team who can respond to things like the Hounds, D-Day, and the Pax Metahumana Crisis. We believe you would be a good asset to the team.[/color]

	“Me? Really? I mean...I’m honored, I really am. But aren’t there other heroes who are...I don’t know, more qualified?” Slipstream asked. 

	[color=c0c0c0]“There was a brother-sister duo who were speedsters, but I haven’t been able to contact them recently. So that left you to fill that role on our team.”[/color]

	“Oh.” Slipstream said, her voice conveying a slight amount of hurt. 

	“I see.”

	[color=c0c0c0]“Well, I haven’t heard from those speedsters for several months now. Since we teamed up a while ago, I was able to put the good word in for you with Icon while we discussed the potential recruits.”[/color]

	“I appreciate that.” Slipstream said, still not entirely sure as why exactly she was being invited to join this super team. “Well, if you’re sure you guys want me, I’m in.”

	[color=c0c0c0]“Hey! Chin up, Slipstream. You helped out when the Hounds attacked Sherman Square. You’re as qualified as any of the other heroes who helped out that day.”[/color] 

	The confirmation that Slipstream wasn’t being recruited as simply a replacement was enough to bring her spirits up. If Iron Knight thought that she was good enough for this team, and said as much to Icon, that was good enough for her.

	“Thank you.” She said. “I won’t let you down.”

	[color=c0c0c0]“Glad you’re on the team. You’re going to want one of these,”[/color] Iron Knight said as he handed Slipstream a card-sized communication device that was identical to the one he had given to Voyager just the day before. [color=c0c0c0]“Once Icon and I think we’re ready to unveil ourselves, we’ll contact you through this device. That way, I don’t have to use skywriting again to get your attention.”[/color]