//------------------------------// // Mare-Vel Adventures #5: First Flight // Story: Rainbow Dash: Aerial Avenger // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// “Terror struck the hearts of the people of the nation today, as the hero, Detroit Steel was graphically struck down by the Mandarin in Afghanistan earlier today,” said an anchor woman. “Details of the attack are unclear, but Detroit Steel is in a critical condition and might not survive. He has been rushed off to the hospital and we are pending more news on the situation.” “Fighting in Afghanistan intensified earlier this afternoon, as superhero Detroit Steel fought and lost against the insurgent criminal, ‘The Mandarin’, in a ferocious battle,” another outlet was reporting on the same story. “Eyewitnesses who witnessed the battle were lucky to have even survived, but they were noticeably terrified by the sight of their hero knocked to the floor in a seemingly-lifeless pulp.” Another gave a similar report. “Will Detroit Steel survive? That’s what the people of the world are asking as earlier today, his body was carried off to the hospital,” it said. “These injuries come as a result of the battle he had against the infamous Mandarin, who locked horns with Detroit Steel in a seemingly equal battle, ultimately ending in The Mandarin destroying Detroit’s cybernetics and leaving him in a critical state.” A hand flicked to another station. Another report. “The people of Afghanistan, and to an extent, the world, were horrified to see the seemingly invincible superhero by the name of Detroit Steel be defeated by the Mandarin and left in a near-death state earlier today. These reports were captured by brave reporters who were left in a state of mental shock at the sight of such a graphic aftermath. Paranoia among them and the populace has hit an all-time high, and now, the powers of the world are starting to fear for their lives.” The on-screen images changed, now displaying the President at a press conference. “Madam President!” someone shouted as cameras flashed, the iron-willed woman stepping on stage. “What is your response to this brutal attack?”  One could easily see the President grip her podium tightly.  “Detroit Steel was your response to the Mandarin’s brutal terrorism, right?” another reporter asked. “It’s clear he’s sending you a message, leaving him on the White House front lawn, beaten and broken!” Madison adjusted her mask, before speaking into the microphone. “Yes, it is a message. But America will not, no she WILL NOT bow to the whims of this terrorist. We didn’t found our great nation all those years ago only to kowtow to the whims of one lunatic! The Mandarin is a terrorist, plain and simple. He likes to style himself as a teacher, as this great all-knowing fountain of wisdom. He is nothing more than a madman. A rabid dog that we need to put down.” “And how do you intend to do that?” one reporter asked over the clamor. “Detroit Steel was your first and last hope right?” “The man will survive, and the suit can be repaired. Upgraded even. We will put a stop to this man’s reign of terror!” Madison said firmly. “He thinks he’s a god. He’s nothing more than a man.” She slammed her fist down on the podium as she finished that sentence, subjecting herself to another wave of paparazzi flashes and frenzied reporters asking for more information. She chose to remain silent until something really pressing was brought to her attention. “How do you plan to stop the Mandarin,” someone asked, a man in a sharply dressed suit and looking vaguely Asian asked. “More guns, more bombs? Flush him out of hiding by destroying everything around him?” “Your point?” Madison asked. “Why give the Mandarin more reason to hate you?” the man asked. “You’d only be proving his point if you once again, activated the great American war machine.” “Because we are at war,” Madison fired back. “We’re not trying to cater to the whims of one man. We’re trying to stop him. Him and his band of radical insurgents.” More news reports were soon to follow after this. “Shock gripped the White House today after radical questions were asked,” the first reporter from before said over the TV. “A nation divided!” “Not for the first time, questions have been asked about…” Rainbow couldn’t take it anymore. “Shut it off.” Spitfire didn’t know how it’d happened. She’d basically signed away her best pilot to the government. Had her tossed in some think tank, to be poked and prodded at. She wasn’t happy. Congradu-fucking-lations Spitfire, she told herself. You really won the award for Boss of the Year. Meanwhile, all the while, the President gave patriotic speeches about how they were going to beat the Mandarin. While Silver Zoom lay in a coma and his suit was basically worth only slightly more than scrap. God, this was such a mess. A white-hot burning rage coursed through her. How had things gone so wrong, so fast? Aliens, government agencies, and all the while a terrorist ran rampant! This year just kept getting better with each passing day… The Mandarin laughed to himself. He’d been in that whole mess they called a press conference, and no one was the wiser! He’d practically thumbed his nose at Madison Mare, flipped her the bird, and nobody had noticed! Pride surged through his veins, confidence gripping him. It was like he was on a high. He’d waltzed into the White House, nobody had noticed him, and he’d waltzed right back out. He might as well have mooned them.  And what were the results of his little jaunt? Confusion, disarray! The whole nation was a mess, everyone fighting amongst themselves. Trying to figure out what to do with him. So much for safety and security, apparently. They called themselves the most powerful nation on Earth. That was a joke, and not even a good one! He had to be honest with himself. It was a miracle it’d survived this long. Time for another lesson, America.  He’d expose the ugly truth, show them for what they were. And nobody could stop him. Deep within the Mojave lay a massive collection of structures, hidden away from the world and nestled within miles and miles of burning desert and cold winter nights.  Everyone thought Area 51 was the government’s big secret. Where they hid away things like crashed alien spaceships and secret government projects and radical new technologies.  That was the biggest lie in America.  Ask yourself, is something really a secret if everyone knows about it?  In the 80s, NASA and S.H.I.E.L.D. joined together in a little alliance, and tossed their biggest brains together in a secret think tank. They called it the Potential Energy Group/Alternate Sources/United States or in short, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Rainbow really wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the irony. The second biggest lie in America was that when you got taken away by the men in black, you’d never be seen again, and you’d be poked and prodded and policed and other p words for the rest of your days.  Again, that was just another tall tale everyone told everyone else for kicks and giggles. Okay, it wasn’t exactly the last word in luxury, it was incredibly sterile and smelled like a hospital but as far as Rainbow knew, nobody was prying her open while she was asleep. The Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility, huh? J.D E.M.F didn’t really roll off the tongue. What was with all of these acronyms anyways? Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, did someone really want their acronym to spell out S.H.I.E.L.D? For that matter, was there a S.W.O.R.D? “Your food sucks, by the way,” Rainbow said to the agent outside her door, watching her. Stabbing a sausage with her fork, she shoved the food inside her mouth, before swallowing and saying: “It feels like I’m back in high school. Did anyone who knows me tell you that I hated high school? What is all of this, anyways? S.H.I.E.L.D? How come I’ve never heard of it?” “Secret government agency, remember?” Coulson commented, watching Supernanny on his phone. He drawled: “We’re not exactly advertising ourselves in the phone books.” “Well, true, but for a top-secret organization, you’d think you’d have better grub!” Rainbow said, shoving more food into her mouth. “Like, it’s barely better than the mystery meat I was served back in high school! And I’m pretty sure that stuff was made from cow dong!” “S.H.I.E.L.D. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Your tax dollars at work. Hard work. We keep our fingers on America's pulse, and believe me, America has veins in every section of the world,” said Coulson. “And apologies, the good stuff won’t arrive till later this week. We only get deliveries out here once a month.” “So you’re saying you’re basically giving me the leftovers?” Rainbow asked, offended. “Turns out, if you want to keep your secret base a secret, finding someone who’s incredibly discrete is… tricky,” Coulson replied before laughing lightly. “I kid, of course, it’s actually just government red tape!” “And letting your little pet project die of potential food poisoning isn’t enough to say ‘screw it’ and start cutting through some of that tape?” Rainbow snarked. “It’s not that bad!” Coulson returned. “It’s actually very nutritious, now eat up!” He sighed, if someone had told him Rainbow was going to be this much of a pain in his ass, he would have passed this job off to Agent Ward. Or Agent Romanoff. ...No, definitely Agent Ward. Romanoff would have killed her by now. “So what’s the matter with me Doc?” Rainbow asked in an amused tone with a grin that reminded him way too much like Stark. “Give it to me straight! Am I dying? Do I need a blood transfusion? I’d be happy to drop my pants!” No, definitely Agent Romanoff, Coulson sighed to himself. “So what do you want from me?” “What do I…” Coulson sighed. “Sorry, that’s not the case. Contrary to your belief, you are not the center of my universe. I have bigger problems in the northern regions to deal with. Something about a Native American monster, trashing campsites and ripping people limb from limb.” “So, I’ve got superpowers! Let me kick its ass!” Rainbow said. “You can. But you won't. We're the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Note the word ‘Homeland’. We're not currently authorized for foreign ops,” Coulson explained. “Aside from that, you aren’t even an agent. I cannot in good conscience send anyone not under my command into danger.” “Hello, superpowers! Superhero!” Rainbow laughed. “Besides, a qualified jet pilot on the side. I think I’m more than able to handle whatever your problem is! Hell, I bet I could handle the Mandarin if you turned me loose!” “Turn… turn you loose?” Coulson asked eyes widened in shock before his voice turned harsh in anger. “This isn’t a game, despite what you think! We don’t even know what your powers are, or even if they’re permanent! Forget setting you on the Mandarin, we don’t even know if your powers will last the week!” Rainbow’s face fell, and she sighed. “...yeah, you’re right. It’s just…” she sighed again, deeper. “All my life I’ve worked to earn some respect, fighting sexist jackasses for a chance to sit in the cockpit. Emphasis on cockpit by the way, apparently. And even now, when I’ve got freakin’ superpowers I can’t do anything! I’m supposed to sit back while some lunatic puts everything I love in danger, my friends, my family, my daughter!” “Well then,” Coulson said as he stepped into the room. He smiled, not a smile that promised pain and suffering but a warm, friendly and understanding smile. “Perhaps it’s time we discover what your powers actually are then, hmm?” Rainbow grinned. “I can roll with that.” Rainbow felt the power course and surge through her. Her outfit had been coated in every sensor known to man, registering… well, Rainbow didn’t actually care to remember what they were registering. It didn’t matter. She felt the warm sun on her face, and starlight rushing through her body. A gentle breeze rustled her rainbow locks, and her whole body crackled with energy. Her palms glowed with soft gentle light, and the earth cracked beneath her. No backing out of this now. They told her she needed a limiter, that apparently whatever had been done to her, her whole body was drawing power from the very fabric of the universe itself.  For her own safety, she had to be held back. They expected she might explode if she ever took the limiter off. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun, even with one hand tied behind her back. Nobody for miles around, except for a couple of guys in a van. Well, she might as well give them a show. The air cracked as she took off towards the skies, the wind scything into her as she took one great leap. She felt faster than a speeding bullet, to borrow that old cliche.  The ground was coming up fast again, and it shook as she slammed into it again.  And then it gave out from under her before she leapt forwards towards a mountain.  She reached for more speed, more power, and for a moment she thought it was enough. And then came the mountain, rising up to greet her. Crashing into it, she slammed into miles of earth and rock, the entire thing coming down all around her. Rainbow felt a frustrated scream barrel it’s way up from her throat, before she pushed forwards, grasping for open clear air. Past the earth, past the rock, past the dust and towards the shining sun. And like an answer, it came. It reached out and touched her, the warm sun cascading all over her body. Not sunlight, no, she realized. Starlight. The air thundered as she took flight into the sky. Not leaping. Flying.  Rainbow laughed in glee, thinking to herself: “If only Scootaloo could see me now!” The wind was tearing at her, grasping at her, begging at her to stop defying it. But, no, she decided. No, she wouldn’t. She would never stop. She lived for the sky, the sun and the clouds and the ground rushing beneath her. Gravity was bowing to her every whim, she was openly mocking it. How fast could she go, how far could she fly? There was only one way to find out, wasn’t there? She circled back around, cutting and scything through the air. The van was barely a blip below, the agents like ants. Coulson watched as a blur of light rocketed overhead, trailing gold energy like the sun behind her. It was like a comet had entered Earth’s atmosphere, and was scorching overhead. His sunglasses fell away from his face, another agent letting out a breathy, whispered: “Dear god…” Rainbow let out a cry, the deserts of Nevada soon behind her. Surging forwards, people all across the West Coast would report seeing a blur of energy in the sky above. Pictures would be taken, videos of speculation would be posted on the internet. Nothing would ever come close to the truth. There was a new wonder of the world. Her.  Maybe it sounded arrogant.  But it was undeniable there was nothing else like her. The rumbling pressure continued to build, pressing itself against her forehead. It stayed there for a moment, before it cracked wide open in a sonic explosion. Rainbow knew the sensation, she’d felt it before in her jet. This was something different though. It wasn’t caused by machinery. It was caused by her. The Pacific Ocean welcomed her into the deep blue. The water was cold, beyond freezing. It gripped her tight like vice. Rainbow knew she should have been crushed, even as she saw the seabed. But impossibilities seemed to be a regular thing with her now. She shouldn’t be able to fly. She shouldn’t be able to leap tall mountains in a single bound. She shouldn’t be able to fire off photonic blasts. She shouldn’t be able to do any of this. And yet she was. Down here in the crushing darkness, there was peace. Tranquility. Calm. And Rainbow’s nerves tightened as her determination hardened into resolve.  Up she shot, a geyser left in her wake and her arms spread wide to greet the sun. She smiled, feeling that seabreeze on her face. Doing a slow twirl in mid air, she floated back down towards the water. Hovering above it, she contemplated running on water. That’d put her in some very special company. Oh, what the hell! Like a bullet from a gun, she rocketed over the Pacific as the miles passed her by. The sensors had long given up the ghost, ripping away from her. Her clothes were beginning to catch fire. She knew she should stop, less she made her debut in the nude. But dear god, this was so much fun! Look out world, here came Rainbow Dash! Taking off into the skies again, she turned her sights to the south. Why stop at one continent? Why not grace another with her presence? Her body blazed with light, the woman spinning in midair her eyes looking towards the sun. It gave her power, along with every other star in the sky. Giving it a two fingered salute, she grinned before pouring on the power and rocketing towards South America.  There were a bunch of drug lords and jungle warlords and plenty of other scumsuckers that needed dealing with anyways, rooting out.  She knew she should turn back, she’d proven how powerful she was.  But what would Captain America do? On the news, she’d heard of everything coming out of South America. And now she had the power to do something about it.  Just one. She could grab just one, make her point and show that criminals had a new power to fear. She felt, dare she say it, marvelous. Unknown to her, other eyes had been watching her flight. An American military base, a few miles below had her on radar. “Couldn’t even run an ID check, nothing like we’ve seen before!” one of the soldiers said to his superior. “We’ve cross referenced with all known databases, and man if this is a missile it’s nothing…” “Like you’ve seen before, I heard,” Commander Wind Rider sighed. “Is it stealth?” “No sir,” someone else said. “It’s tiny!” “What are we dealing with here…?” Wind Rider muttered before making up his mind. “Get Raptors in the area, I want that thing shot down!” Someone let out a call of: “Bogey spotted!”  Rainbow realized too late, before she heard the roar of two engines. The screaming, the howling of F-22s. Going into a spin, she barrel rolled left, the two jets turning and flying after her. “Well, you’ve really stepped in it now, haven’t you!” Rainbow scolded herself. “Ballroom, this is Whiplash 1. I’ve got the bogey in my sight.” the pilot said to his command. “What is it!?!” Wind Rider demanded. “I have no idea!” Whiplash 1 replied, in shock as he watched the tiny target fly with the skill and precision of one of their own. “No radio contact, or anything! Whatever it is, it can’t hear me! Or it’s choosing not to.” “Well then…” Wind Rider said. “You know what to do.” And like that, Whiplash 1 fired a missile. Rainbow heard it, and panicked. She knew it was a heat seeker, and right now she had to be lighting up the whole damn sky. No way to lose it, unless… Oh this wasn’t going to be fun. She dropped, mile after mile before lighting herself up again and tossing a blast of pure photonic energy. The blast sent her spirling, her ears ringing before she was up and away and high above the twin jets. Flying past Whiplash 1, she tossed him a salute before rocketing off. “Uh, base… you’re not going to believe this but…” Whiplash 1 said. “...I think I just saw a woman.” “You saw a what?” Wind Rider asked, barely able to believe his ears. “The bogey!” Whiplash 1 shouted. “It’s a flying woman!” Never knowing of the shock she’d probably just caused, and the government cover ups probably soon to follow, Rainbow continued her quest. There was a compound, just a short walk ahead of her. “Rainbow, what are you doing?” Coulson’s voice crackled in her ear. “I’ve got reports flying in from everywhere, strange lights in the sky, the Pacific Ocean erupting! A strange woman defying gravity!” “Uh… saving the world?” Rainbow asked. “Hello, superpowers! You honestly don’t expect me not to do anything with them, right?” “Rainbow!” Coulson shouted. “You… I… you don’t even have a mask!” Rainbow slapped mud all over her face, gathering it from the forest floor. “Now I do!” Rainbow said before crashing through the compound walls. “Rainbow!”  “Sorry, you’re breaking up!” Rainbow replied before faking the sounds of static. “I must be getting out of range! Hey, maybe you should check on that? Bye!” Gunfire pelted her, the bullets bouncing off of her energy shield with comical ease. Her clothes were covered in scorch marks and burns. Okay, if she was going to be a successful superhero, she really needed to get that fixed.  Oh well, live and learn, right?  Slapping a thug aside, she grabbed another’s rifle from her hands and broke it in half over her knee. More soldiers came, and she blasted them away with pure photonic energy. Gathering power in her fist, she slammed it into the earth. Soldiers were tossed upwards by the shockwave, and Rainbow grabbed a tree before slamming it into them like the world’s largest baseball bat. “Annnnnnnnnnd they’re out of the ballpark!” she called, watching them fly. Lunging forwards, she suddenly felt a great force hit her. Smashing through compound walls, Rainbow groaned and rubbed her face feeling blood. Her eyes widened, the soldier turned superheroine letting out a gasp. She was actually bleeding! And she saw why. A tank. Of course the damn drug kingpin’s soldiers had a damn tank! Firing blast after blast as she climbed out of the rubble, she ripped into it’s armor. The air thundered with the sound of a shell, and Rainbow sidestepped, feeling a scorching heat behind her as the earth erupted in an explosion. The tank fired again, and Rainbow punched forwards striding through the explosion. Her shield was seared away, before it recovered in a flash of gold. Ripping into the tank with the force of a titan, she pulled armor away exposing its fleshy innards. It would be so easy, Rainbow thought to herself as she saw the two quivering, whimpering soldiers inside. Way too easy, she thought with a frown. “Hello there,” Rainbow said striding forwards, watching one of the soldiers practically shit his pants at the sight of her. She saw him go for his gun, and barely felt a tingle as the bullets bounced off her, gold casings splattering in the mud below. “What… what are you?” the terrified soldier asked. “I’m... “ Rainbow started to answer, before realizing she hadn’t actually come up with a codename for herself. “You know, I haven’t figured that out actually! ...you mind if you wait right here while I do that? ...suppose I can’t just call myself Mistress Marvelous, right?” “No, I’m pretty sure that’s taken…” the second soldier whispered nervously. Rainbow’s face fell. “Damn, you’re right. Copyright’s a bitch. Oh well.” Lowering herself in close, she watched the soldier faint in fear. And then she turned to the other one. “What… what are you going to do to me?” the first asked. “This,” Rainbow answered, finger-flicking him into unconsciousness. Marching forwards, she met with more resistance though little of it was any real concern. Elbowing one soldier, she grabbed another by his wrist and flipped him into the earth. Another she just slammed into the trunk of a tree. “Oh, I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite, so don't let me have any rights…” Rainbow hummed as she backhanded two soldiers trying to sneak up on her.  She eventually found the main building, and saw the terrified kingpin and his general hiding away behind the safety of a window covered by iron bars. And she knew immediately what to reference. Okay, Coulson was probably going to kill her, but she just stopped some major drug trafficking so all was well and good… right? Putting her hands on her hips, she called out: “General, would you care to step outside?” Spitfire had seen the news. “Mysterious Flying Woman Takes the Nation by Storm!” “Who is she? Is she here to help or to harm?” “Wonder, Amazement! Shock, Awe!” She wasn’t an idiot, even without any real clear pictures she knew exactly who it was. Giving out a sigh, Spitfire mumbled something to herself under her breath. ...well, it wasn’t like anyone could ever stop Rainbow whenever she put her mind to something. “Besides…” she mused. “With the Mandarin on the rise, and Detroit Steel practically scrap, we may just need a marvelous new solution…” The Mandarin let out a roar of rage. Someone was challenging him, he knew it! The Americans, they had to be behind this. It was awfully convenient that the same week he trashed their Detroit Steel, they showed off some new miracle of science. Some new amazement. Maybe they’d finally done it, replicated the famous serum that gave Captain America his powers! Or worse, improved upon it. The wheels just kept turning, the great American war machine just kept grinding out new and dangerous weapons. Afghanistan, like Vietnam before it would be alight with fire. He emphasized with the peoples of the Middle East, he really did. For over twenty years, they’d been under siege by the West. The Americans, they never knew when to quit.  Go in, say they were ‘defending the world’ against some foreign threat. The excuses changed. From communism to terrorism. But the same basic intent was always the same. He had to defend them. They weren’t his people, but like his people they suffered oppression from the United States of America. From guns and tanks and bombs, to now superhumans. Miracles of science! And there was nothing more horrifying than a miracle. The door had been opened, the die cast. It wasn’t an age of warfare anymore, no. You could feel it in the air. A new energy, crackling and distinct. It was the age of heroes. They’d call this amazing woman a hero, of course they would. And they’d call him a villain, because every superhero needed a supervillain to oppose her. Batman had his Joker. Superman had Lex Luthor. Wonder Woman, she had Ares. And this woman would have him. He’d crush her. Of course he would. A miracle was nothing before an experienced warrior. Ghengis Khan, his ancestor had taken down everyone who had opposed him. And now he, his ancestor, followed in his footsteps. He’d crushed Detroit Steel, and he would crush this woman. But like Khan, he needed an army to do so. The Americans had their super soldier serum, he had his own. Desperate times called for extreme measures. Very extreme measures. The Mandarin broke into a laugh. Let her come! He’d be ready! The time of his ascension was nearly at hand. All he needed now were the rings. Yes, the rings. They’d been scattered throughout the world years before, and all but a few were now in his grasp. And then he’d show the world a true miracle. True to Rainbow’s predictions, her handler had words for her. “What did you do?” Coulson demanded. “You should have kept yourself secret, we were only testing your powers!” “So what? I bagged a bad guy for you didn’t I?” rainbow shrugged, now in a new pair of jeans and shirt. “I mean, can’t you be happy for me?” “Yes, I am… I am happy for you, but that’s not the point!” Coulson stormed. “What if your powers suddenly gave out mid-flight? We’d be fishing you out of the ocean for years!” “But they didn’t, so there!” Rainbow huffed, crossing her arms. “You’re reckless, stubborn, and a danger to yourself and to your family,” Coulson reprimanded. That hit home, hard, and Rainbow blanched. “Excuse me?” she hissed. “What if I had to go home, tell your daughter that you’d gone splat in the ocean or been shot to death by South American guerilla soldiers?” Coulson pointed out before sighing. “I… I just don’t want to be the man who has to do that. So next time you decide to do something crazy, you need to stop and think. You can’t just go charging into things, powerful as you are. Sometimes the greatest superpower is knowing when to show restraint.” “But I’m practically invincible…” Rainbow muttered. “Yes, practically. But not completely,” Coulson continued to lecture. “You can shrug off most bullets, but not a tank shell from the looks of it. You can bleed. You got lucky today. What about tomorrow, or what about the next day or the day after that?” “I… yeah, you’re right,” Rainbow finally sighed. “I don’t want to admit it, but you’re absolutely right. I was stupid, I know. It’s just… there’s way too much crap going on in the world today, and here I can finally do something about it! I don’t know where my superpowers came from, but I swear I’m going to use them to make a difference… It’s what Captain America would do.” Coulson, for a moment however brief, looked approving before his face returned to its usual impassive mask. “Actually, about that…” he said. “We actually do know where your powers came from.” “From me, actually.” said a voice and a familiar blond stepped into the room. “Lawson?” Rainbow asked, before his form shifted.  “My name’s not Lawson, it’s actually Mar-Vehl,” the alien explained with a smile. “And congratulations Rainbow, you’ve just taken your first steps into a larger world…”