The Wiked Witch Cafe based out of the Ordway Observatory next to verdant Weirdly Park was always a mecca for the unexpected but now it was barely contained chaos.
The sun was starting to set on a picturesque Thursday afternoon. The Cafe, normally winding down on Thursdays at this time, was completely packed. Every table and chair was out - even those with slight damage that were mouldering the store room. The inside of the Cafe was filled with a crowd that spilled not only onto the alfresco dining area but the carpark and Weirdly Park itself.
There was no denying that the Cafe was profiting enormously by it's current state but somehow at the back of mind, Tommy Tonka, owner of the establishment, couldn't shake the thought that perhaps it wasn't wise to let Headmaster Hooper and the arts students of Claremont Academy convince him to open a special "open mic" afternoon and evening. It certainly wasn't that Tommy would make a loss out of the event. It was more that he and his staff could barely keep up with the ceaseless flood of students, regulars and walk ins.
The abscene of the normally ever present Matt Black was keenly felt by Tommy. Normally Matt would act as both supervisor and bouncer. With a single steely glare Matt could instill a chilling effect in even the rowdiest of souls. Sadly Matt had to finish some "personal business" and when Matt spoke like this everyone instinctively knew not to ask further. And so coorindating what had unexpectedly become a street party had fallen to the ill prepared Tommy Tonka. If not for the formidable coordination skills of his three best staff , the cafe simply could not have coped. As it was Aki, Ako and Ada shepherded, bussed, ushered and refreshed with machine-like precision.
By the counter turned bar Dr Jane Doe of ASTRO Labs lazily reclined with drink in hand. She wore a bemused look as she occasionally shook locks of fiery hair from her face. Tommy hadn't had opportunity to see her laugh before. In her relaxed mood it was easy to mistake Jane for just another twenty-something out for fun instead of the city's resident expert on the Omni-verse, herself of extra-dimensional origin. Tommy didn't know much of Jane's origin. He only recently learnt that she hailed form Earth-65126 which Jane herself described as "a bit of a backwater". Jane called this reality Earth-502 while everyone else appeared to refer to it as Earth-Prime.
Tommy was keenly aware that there was more than one Jane "out there". Once, over a year ago, Tommy was dragged to another reality where he met another Jane, one who had purged her reality of supers. It was sobering to think that there were other versions of Jane in the Omni-verse and some of them were incredibly ruthless. Maybe somewhere out in the world was this realities' version of Jane Doe. If she was out there, what would she be like? Maybe she was the carefree woman like the one currently at the bar. Maybe she was like the intimidating Sovereign Citizen who had purged her world of others.
More often than not Jane alternated her gaze between two groups of people. With a friendly and familiar ease she observed her near constant companions Adrian Hooper and Tara Breen. Tommy noticed that Jane's gaze lingered on Cage Farrady far more than might be expected.
Cage Farrady was a relatively new friend of Tommy. Cage was studying at nearby Aracadia University when he acquired electrical and speed powers. A keen musician Cage appeared to be slightly crestfallen to learn that the super hero team Tommy belonged to, known as the Band, was not in any way associated with music. Cage had joined anyway and was now attempting to monopolise the small stage in the cafe. Owing to the sheer volume of musically inclined patrons present that the moment, Cage was having limited success in his endeavour. Much to the amusement of Jane Doe.
The other group that held Jane Doe's gaze was Adrian Hooper and Tara Breen. Jane, Adrian and Tara were almost a set. The three were close to inseparable.
Tara Breen, or Maelstrom, was a diminutive red haired woman who might as well be Jane's older sister. The two bore an uncanny resemblance with Jane being the taller of the two by a good head and half. Tara had also recently revealed her extra dimensional origins. Tara told that she was a faerie hailing from Earth-308. Tommy had already met this reality's version of Tara, a villain calling herself Crimson Tide. There was no love lost between Maelstrom and Tide. Reports of clashes between the two were "interesting" reading.
The third part of the trinity was Adrian Hooper who was also the hero Extent. Adrian had taken a leave of absence from AEGIS and their hero team the Mentors to become the acting Headmaster of Claremont Academy. Adrian was technically in charge of the current event but it had escaped any semblance of control long ago. For now he appeared to be proficiently taking turns on the open mic with his wife and students, dancing and generally enjoying himself. It was probably a welcome relief from the many responsibility thrust upon him as hero, AEGIS Agent, member of the Mentors, Headmaster of Claremont and father. All these responsibilities were already upon him before the mystical meanderer Thomas Rhymer revealed that someone, or something, was removing key super teams from action. To top it off Thomas Rhymer then prophesied the imminent arrival of the "Red Death".
For his part Thomas Rhymer was nowhere to be seen. This was unsurprising. Thomas had no love for Adrian, Tara or Jane nor they for him. As it was, Thomas had volunteered to try and locate Tommy's wayward friend Gheist who was last seen imprisoned inside a walking cane that was stolen by the villainous Magpie. The cane in question belonged to another of Tommy's friends: Laura Stonewall.
Tommy's friend and team mate, Laura Stonewall moved throughout the crowd with comfortable ease. It seemed to be a talent. Laura, despite being a stalwart hero, was welcomed everywhere she went. Sometimes Tommy had difficulty believing that Laura was hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. In some ways Laura's ever present presence in the world was akin to the ongoing presence of the a wielder of the powers of the Big Kahuna or Lady Liberty. Tommy surveyed the crowed.
Among the crowd Jasmine Saunders, the new Lady Liberty, was also present. Jasmine was currently a student at the Claremont Academy where she was at least partially shielded from those who took affront to her Japanese American heritage. As the first non-Caucasian Lady Liberty, Jasmine was a frequent target of racist attacks. Tommy and his friends were the first heroes Jasmine revealed herself to and they had a rapport. Recently Tommy offered the grateful Jasmine a job at the cafe but tonight she had the shift off.
Tommy again checked the crowd. He recalled that Lahua Lekika, the new Big Kahuna, had promised to stop by once she finished work. Lahua had inherited the mantle of the Big Kahuna after Tommy's friend, Huey Nui, the last Big Kahuna, had sacrificed himself in a distant star to save the hero Neuromancer. It had come as a considerable surprise to learn that the Big Kahuna was a serial hero much like Lady Liberty. Tommy was still getting used to the idea that the legacy of his friend lived on in Lehua.
As for Lehua herself, she was keenly different from her predecessor Huey. While Huey was boisterous, good natured and, truth be told, a little on the dim side, Lehua had a brilliant mind honed to razor like precision. Huey was loud and fun loving. Lehua was reserved, calm and composed.
Another of Tommy's friends, Jesse Crockett, was present and also seemed to be enjoying himself. Jesse had a lot to consider at the moment. After recent encounters with Argents and Daedalus rogue experiments, Jesse had been given an offer from AEGIS. It was an offer that required careful thought.
Jesse had been offered Adrian Hooper's place on the AEGIS Team, the Mentors. If Jesse accepted he would join a roster of largely new heroes on one of the most the famous teams in the world. Adrian had privately noted that Jesse could bring a steady hand to the Mentors while the "old guard" like Adrian dealt with their own issues. Joining the Mentors would be a significant step for Jesse who would announce his decision when he was ready and not before.
At least one other potential recruit to the Mentors was present in the cafe. Christopher Taylor, the man empowered by Daedalus' Argent derivative, could be seen sitting awkwardly off to the side. At first Tommy was not entirely sure why Christopher had come to the cafe that day. The reserved man only seemed to come when on AEGIS business. It had quickly became apparent that he had been lured here by Adrian and Tara on some pretence. Why Christopher stayed in a situation that he was clearly uncomfortable with was unknown.
The Band had recently met Christopher and he appeared to be hesitant in using his powers. If Christopher joined the Mentors then they would need someone like Jesse to help.
In fact it seemed that everywhere Tommy looked there was people who could use the help of Tommy Jesse and the rest of the Band. Perhaps this brief respite was going to be all they could spare... only time would tell.
The sun was starting to set on a picturesque Thursday afternoon. The Cafe, normally winding down on Thursdays at this time, was completely packed. Every table and chair was out - even those with slight damage that were mouldering the store room. The inside of the Cafe was filled with a crowd that spilled not only onto the alfresco dining area but the carpark and Weirdly Park itself.
There was no denying that the Cafe was profiting enormously by it's current state but somehow at the back of mind, Tommy Tonka, owner of the establishment, couldn't shake the thought that perhaps it wasn't wise to let Headmaster Hooper and the arts students of Claremont Academy convince him to open a special "open mic" afternoon and evening. It certainly wasn't that Tommy would make a loss out of the event. It was more that he and his staff could barely keep up with the ceaseless flood of students, regulars and walk ins.
The abscene of the normally ever present Matt Black was keenly felt by Tommy. Normally Matt would act as both supervisor and bouncer. With a single steely glare Matt could instill a chilling effect in even the rowdiest of souls. Sadly Matt had to finish some "personal business" and when Matt spoke like this everyone instinctively knew not to ask further. And so coorindating what had unexpectedly become a street party had fallen to the ill prepared Tommy Tonka. If not for the formidable coordination skills of his three best staff , the cafe simply could not have coped. As it was Aki, Ako and Ada shepherded, bussed, ushered and refreshed with machine-like precision.
By the counter turned bar Dr Jane Doe of ASTRO Labs lazily reclined with drink in hand. She wore a bemused look as she occasionally shook locks of fiery hair from her face. Tommy hadn't had opportunity to see her laugh before. In her relaxed mood it was easy to mistake Jane for just another twenty-something out for fun instead of the city's resident expert on the Omni-verse, herself of extra-dimensional origin. Tommy didn't know much of Jane's origin. He only recently learnt that she hailed form Earth-65126 which Jane herself described as "a bit of a backwater". Jane called this reality Earth-502 while everyone else appeared to refer to it as Earth-Prime.
Tommy was keenly aware that there was more than one Jane "out there". Once, over a year ago, Tommy was dragged to another reality where he met another Jane, one who had purged her reality of supers. It was sobering to think that there were other versions of Jane in the Omni-verse and some of them were incredibly ruthless. Maybe somewhere out in the world was this realities' version of Jane Doe. If she was out there, what would she be like? Maybe she was the carefree woman like the one currently at the bar. Maybe she was like the intimidating Sovereign Citizen who had purged her world of others.
More often than not Jane alternated her gaze between two groups of people. With a friendly and familiar ease she observed her near constant companions Adrian Hooper and Tara Breen. Tommy noticed that Jane's gaze lingered on Cage Farrady far more than might be expected.
Cage Farrady was a relatively new friend of Tommy. Cage was studying at nearby Aracadia University when he acquired electrical and speed powers. A keen musician Cage appeared to be slightly crestfallen to learn that the super hero team Tommy belonged to, known as the Band, was not in any way associated with music. Cage had joined anyway and was now attempting to monopolise the small stage in the cafe. Owing to the sheer volume of musically inclined patrons present that the moment, Cage was having limited success in his endeavour. Much to the amusement of Jane Doe.
The other group that held Jane Doe's gaze was Adrian Hooper and Tara Breen. Jane, Adrian and Tara were almost a set. The three were close to inseparable.
Tara Breen, or Maelstrom, was a diminutive red haired woman who might as well be Jane's older sister. The two bore an uncanny resemblance with Jane being the taller of the two by a good head and half. Tara had also recently revealed her extra dimensional origins. Tara told that she was a faerie hailing from Earth-308. Tommy had already met this reality's version of Tara, a villain calling herself Crimson Tide. There was no love lost between Maelstrom and Tide. Reports of clashes between the two were "interesting" reading.
The third part of the trinity was Adrian Hooper who was also the hero Extent. Adrian had taken a leave of absence from AEGIS and their hero team the Mentors to become the acting Headmaster of Claremont Academy. Adrian was technically in charge of the current event but it had escaped any semblance of control long ago. For now he appeared to be proficiently taking turns on the open mic with his wife and students, dancing and generally enjoying himself. It was probably a welcome relief from the many responsibility thrust upon him as hero, AEGIS Agent, member of the Mentors, Headmaster of Claremont and father. All these responsibilities were already upon him before the mystical meanderer Thomas Rhymer revealed that someone, or something, was removing key super teams from action. To top it off Thomas Rhymer then prophesied the imminent arrival of the "Red Death".
For his part Thomas Rhymer was nowhere to be seen. This was unsurprising. Thomas had no love for Adrian, Tara or Jane nor they for him. As it was, Thomas had volunteered to try and locate Tommy's wayward friend Gheist who was last seen imprisoned inside a walking cane that was stolen by the villainous Magpie. The cane in question belonged to another of Tommy's friends: Laura Stonewall.
Tommy's friend and team mate, Laura Stonewall moved throughout the crowd with comfortable ease. It seemed to be a talent. Laura, despite being a stalwart hero, was welcomed everywhere she went. Sometimes Tommy had difficulty believing that Laura was hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. In some ways Laura's ever present presence in the world was akin to the ongoing presence of the a wielder of the powers of the Big Kahuna or Lady Liberty. Tommy surveyed the crowed.
Among the crowd Jasmine Saunders, the new Lady Liberty, was also present. Jasmine was currently a student at the Claremont Academy where she was at least partially shielded from those who took affront to her Japanese American heritage. As the first non-Caucasian Lady Liberty, Jasmine was a frequent target of racist attacks. Tommy and his friends were the first heroes Jasmine revealed herself to and they had a rapport. Recently Tommy offered the grateful Jasmine a job at the cafe but tonight she had the shift off.
Tommy again checked the crowd. He recalled that Lahua Lekika, the new Big Kahuna, had promised to stop by once she finished work. Lahua had inherited the mantle of the Big Kahuna after Tommy's friend, Huey Nui, the last Big Kahuna, had sacrificed himself in a distant star to save the hero Neuromancer. It had come as a considerable surprise to learn that the Big Kahuna was a serial hero much like Lady Liberty. Tommy was still getting used to the idea that the legacy of his friend lived on in Lehua.
As for Lehua herself, she was keenly different from her predecessor Huey. While Huey was boisterous, good natured and, truth be told, a little on the dim side, Lehua had a brilliant mind honed to razor like precision. Huey was loud and fun loving. Lehua was reserved, calm and composed.
Another of Tommy's friends, Jesse Crockett, was present and also seemed to be enjoying himself. Jesse had a lot to consider at the moment. After recent encounters with Argents and Daedalus rogue experiments, Jesse had been given an offer from AEGIS. It was an offer that required careful thought.
Jesse had been offered Adrian Hooper's place on the AEGIS Team, the Mentors. If Jesse accepted he would join a roster of largely new heroes on one of the most the famous teams in the world. Adrian had privately noted that Jesse could bring a steady hand to the Mentors while the "old guard" like Adrian dealt with their own issues. Joining the Mentors would be a significant step for Jesse who would announce his decision when he was ready and not before.
The Band had recently met Christopher and he appeared to be hesitant in using his powers. If Christopher joined the Mentors then they would need someone like Jesse to help.
In fact it seemed that everywhere Tommy looked there was people who could use the help of Tommy Jesse and the rest of the Band. Perhaps this brief respite was going to be all they could spare... only time would tell.
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