Takes place no more than a month before ‘Fashion Faux-Pas’.

“-die nachricht weitergeben.  Ja, wir sehen uns im Dezember.  Habe dich lieb Mama.“  Kurt hung up the phone and turned to the other members of the New Blood.  “There, you see?  Irene’s perfectly fine.  That letter you received was clearly some sort of prank.”

Runaway just curled further in herself.  She muttered in a low voice, “That’s good tah know.  But Ah don’t think the letter was referring to our foster mother.”

Kurt frowned.  “In that case just disregard it.  We certainly owe no care to the woman who abandoned both of us.”

At this point Kokoro broke in.  “Wait, I thought the two of you were only foster siblings.  Are you saying you’re actually related?”

The older man took up the responsibility of answering questions.  Clearly Anne-Marie wasn’t up to participating in long discussions right now.  “Yes, actually.  Irene never told us, but it’s the same name on the birth certificates.  Raven Darkholme.”

“So you have the same mother and foster mother?  That’s an odd coincidence.”

“No foolin’.”  Runaway roused herself to help her brother explain.  “Irene was listed as legal guardian by my parents.  When Dad died, she came tah the States tah adopt me.”

The British ninja turned to the other half of the sibling pair.  Kurt just shrugged.  “I just got dumped on Irene’s doorstep.  I guess since Raven saw she was willing, she felt fine dumping a second kid on her.”

“Irene and Raven are friends.  That’s what Irene says.”

“Mom puts up with way too much shit from this Raven chick.”

“Okay, time out.”  Wraith lifted his hands from where he was massaging his girlfriend’s shoulders.  “We’re getting off topic heah.  The point is-” The pitch-black man turned to the ninja, who only having walked in during Kurt’s phone call had missed some important parts.  “Runaway has received a lettah, stating that if she didn’t come to the-” He took a quick glance at the paper on the table.  “Dworshak Dam, in Clearwater, her mother would be killed.  The question is, do we go or not?”

“I vote no.  We have no proof that letter isn’t a hoax or a prank or a trap.”  Ryder crossed his arms and tactfully didn’t mention the lack of caring on his part.  It was pretty clear that wasn’t a winning argument with his little sister.

“Not your letter, mine.  Therefore my decision.  Ah’m going.”  Anne-Marie was usually fairly easy-going, but on this issue she wasn’t going to budge.

Finally Kurt lowered his eyes.  “Fine.  But not by yourself.  I’ll accompany you as Nightcreeper.”  He looked around.  “Anyone else want to come?”

“Ah’m coming!”  Announced Todd.  “It wouldn’t be right if Ah didn’t come to support my girlfriend in her hour of need.”

“I’m not,” stated Angelhawk.  “Actually I’d prefer if most of us stay here.  Amazon and Dark Claw currently have a lead on Green Skull and are pretty close to tracking him down.  We need to stay here to provide back-up once they find him.”  Runaway looked up with shock, fear and betrayal in her amber eyes.  “A-although I guess we can spare one more person to go on this . . . snipe hunt.”

For a while there was silence.  Kurt wondered if maybe he should back out.  Most of the JLX was uncomfortable dealing with Nightcreeper, perhaps they’d have more volunteers if he didn’t go.  Just as he was about to make the offer, Kokoro spoke up.  “I’ll go.”  She turned a glare on the taller man.  “But just to be clear, I’m doing this for Runaway, not you.”

He rolled his blue eyes.  “Ja, ja.  I’m over your.already.  Stop projecting.”

“Fine.”  The young woman with the bi-colored hair took charge, knowing that the sniping would go on for hours if no one did.  “We’ll leave tahmarrah, in the late afternoon.  That’ll give us enough time to case the joint before we attack.”

“Kokoro, what do you sense?”  Asked Wraith.

“About two dozen cult members, armed and acting as guards.  Not exactly brilliant but we’ll have problems if they gang up together on any of us.”  The ninja’s eyes glow pale white in the dim lighting.  “A couple more inside, probably high ranking members.”  She frowned.  “Several anxious individuals, but no one panicking or despairing the way a hostage would.  If they’ve got her, she’s been knocked out.”

“Can’t rule it as a prank yet then.”  Runaway bit down on her lip nervously.  “Okay, Nightcreeper, Wraith, you’re on distraction duty.  Kokoro and I will sneak it while their attention is focused on you.”

“Hihihi!  As you wish, mein schwester.”  Nightcreeper followed words to actions, teleporting directly in front of one of the spotlights.  While the cult members cried out in surprise and opened fire on the invulnerable mutate, Wraith charged a handful of cards and threw them at the helicopters they could see parked on the tarmac.  Amidst the smoke and confusion Kokoro and Runaway made their way to the wall.  Kokoro cut a hole in and they slipped away from the fighting.

Inside the telepathic ninja guided their way, avoiding the guards rushing out to reinforce their fellows.  Finally the two of them made their way to a large door.  Behind it they could hear a woman calling out for help.  Runaway looked at her co-worker.  Kokoro cast out her psychic senses.  “Only one living signature.  But muted.  I think there’s some shielding in the walls.”

“Okay.” said Runaway, and promptly punched the reinforced steel door in.  The two New Blood burst into the room, but unfortunately no hostage did they see.  Instead it was, “Graydon Quinn!”  The leader of the Pro-Earth movement, anti-alien movement.

“Hah!  I knew that letter would send the JLX running to investigate.  It’s only too bad that the other half of my trap didn’t pan out!  But I can kill the two of you and claim a job well done!”  The madman cackled behind his glass cage, pressing a button that called up a set of reinforced walls and opened up some spray nozzles.

“Gas!  Quick, make a hole before we’re overwhelmed!”  Runaway tried to punch an opening in the wall, but the gas made her dizzy and weak.  Kokoro was no better.  She raised her swords to cut they’re way to freedom, but saw them fizzle and fade away.  Strange, she should have greater resistance to the gas than Runaway but instead her strength was fading even faster.  As she looked at the glowing green mist she realized why.  “Runaway, they’ve got kryptonite mixed in!”

The human woman stopped trying to punch her way through the walls and started trying to block the nozzles.  But there were too many and placed too far apart.  At the going rate they were both doomed.

Then an explosion blasted one of the walls out.  Debris showered over the two women, hammering down on their bodies and cutting into their skin.  But it also brought blessedly fresh air as well so they didn’t care.  As they took a few moments to recover, gunfire cut through the air . . . and the glass walls of the control center Creed had been hiding in.  A pale woman with red hair, dressed in white and wielding a large automatic stepped into the room.  “Anne?  Anne, are you here?” she cried out.  When she saw the two of them, she rushed over.

The woman hesitated when she got there, looking at Kokoro then Runaway.  But when the latter looked up, exposing the starburst in her hair, the red-head rushed over to her with an expression of relief.  “Oh thank the Gods, you’re still alive!  I thought I was too late!”  With that she shoved the automatic off to her back and helped the younger woman stand up.

As the three of them made their way out of the compound, Kokoro got a good look at their rescuer.  “Kantique!” she hissed, summoning her swords again.  They were short and the blades looked brittle, but she dare not go undefended in this creature’s company.  “How dare you show your face here?”

The older woman looked at her coldly, clearly not recognizing her from their first encounter.  “Rescuing my daughter of course.  Who are you?”

“My name is Elizabeth Tatsu Braddock.  You killed my parents.  Prepare to die.”  With that she lunged towards the other two.

Kantique moved her daughter to a sheltered position behind her, using the gun to block Kokoro’s strikes.  “Braddock?  Braddock?  Oh yes, the Kryptonian survivor who went native on this planet.  I knew I should have spent more time cleaning up lose ends.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that anymore!  This is one loose end intent on cleaning up you!”  Kokoro continued to slash at the alien assassin while Kantique maneuvered her towards the edge of the dam.  Finally the red-head side-stepped a thrust, moving into the ninja’s personal space.  One hand on her shoulder, a well-braced stance and a quick shove were all she needed to knock the other over the guard rail.

As Kokoro screamed, she felt someone grab her, then smelt a familiar puff of sulfur and the usual disorientation that accompanied Nightcreeper’s teleports.  The two of them were back on the edge of the bridge, listening to Kantique answer Runaway’s questions.  “I’ve had many children over the years.  But you’re my only daughter.  You matter more to me than all the rest.”

“Well, that answers some questions about my childhood.” muttered Nightcreeper, wrapping his tail around Kokoro to prevent her from going after Kantique again.  “Mood lighting, action, the reveal after the fight, I give it four stars!”

“If Ah mean so much to you, why did you abandon father and Ah when Ah was only three?”

The older woman sighed.  “I’m an interstellar assassin in the employ of Thanoseid.  I stayed with Mark and you as long as I could.  But Irene warned me that my enemies were catching up to me.  I had to leave you for you to be safe.”

Runaway sank to her knees, shaking her head.  The look on her face was disbelief warring with shock.

The other sighed.  “Just stay away from your brother’s ploys in the future.  Not that he’s going to be having a long one now.”  She turned to where they could hear a helicopter rising.  As it crested the dam they could see Graydon Quinn inside, a look of hate distorting his face.  Upon seeing Runaway, Kantique and Kokoro together, a look of unholy glee came upon him.

“All three alien bitches here together!  Truly a sign from the Lord!”  He tried to open fire, but Kantique was faster.  She managed to clip his rotors with her spray, causing the helicopter to start spiraling down.

Runaway’s mind was still far away.  “Wait, Graydon Quinn’s my brother too?”

“Half-brother.  With some army officer named Creed Quinn.  Don’t worry my dear, I’ll take care of him shortly.”  With that the alien pulled a detonator out of nowhere- “Trouserspace!” crowed Nightcreeper- and pressed it.  Explosions rocked the section of the bridge they were on, and it began to separate from the rest of the damn.

Upon seeing this, the green man grabbed Kokoro and his sister and teleported them back onto dry land.  There they saw that section of the dam, plus thousands of tons of water go crashing down on the helicopter Quinn was on.  After all the rumbling they, plus the exhausted Wraith (”Don’t go skipping out having fun without me, pardner.”  “Ja, ja, es tut mir leid.”) spent time looking for both Graydon Quinn and Kantique.  But they turned up nothing.

Back at the station, Runaway and Wraith were taking time to recover in private.  Nightcreeper had delivered a report of what happened, to the frustrated, irritable Dark Claw.  As he applied the patch and started to shed fur and too sharp teeth and a tail, Kokoro decided to confront him.

“So your Mom’s Kantique.”

“Irene’s my mom,” he corrected forcefully.  “Kantique’s just the glorified egg donor.”

“Runaway doesn’t see it that way.”

“Anne-Marie still idolizes Raven.  It’ll take her a while to recover from the disappointment.”

“And you?”

The last of the fur fell away and dissolved on the breeze.  Kurt shrugged and started putting on his every day clothes (suit, shirt, tie and even matching vest).  “I’ve always known that my mother must not have cared for me.  The feeling’s mutual.”

Kokoro nodded, but seemed distracted.  When he was finally dressed, she sauntered over.  “Stay away from me.”

“Was?”

“I said, stay away from me.  Stay away from my brother and Angelhawk too.  And Gloria Mundi.  Don’t ever go to England if you can help it.”  She leaned up to speak directly into his ear.  “If I ever fucking see you again, I’ll take your head off!”

With that she stomped off.  Wraith, who had slipped in as shadow while they weren’t paying attention turned to watch her go.  Once the door had sealed behind her, he looked back at Ryder.  “Did she mean that for the super-heroing as well?  Because it’ll be hard to be on the same team if she wants to kill you every time she sees you.”

Kurt finished buttoning the vest and shrugged.  “Ah, it’s alright.  Dark Claw says he wants me to help mentor a new team that’s being created.  So I was going to leave the New Bloods anyway.”