Long Island, the Funaro residence, there is a knock at the door to Donna Funaro’s bedroom. ‘Donna? You awake? I’ve got your laundry done!’ Donna’s mother calls out. Lying on the floor, wearing only a pair of shorts, Chris Bradley a.k.a. Bolt suddenly wakes up. ‘Oh no, my Mom! Chris, if she finds you crashing here, I’m dead!’ Donna exclaims as she pushes Chris towards the window, telling him to get out. ‘You saying I should “Bolt”?’ Chris jokes. ‘Very dunny, now move!’ Donna tells her half-naked boyfriend. Chris drops his duffel bag outside, and thinks to himself ‘Sheesh, some super hero’, and wonders whether Spider-Man had to sleep on his girlfriend’s floor while he was “in between places to live”.
Meanwhile, in the East New Your neighborhood of Brooklyn, a boy bounces his basketball on the sidewalk, while a black car drives slowly down the street. ‘Yo, we almost there. You ready?’ someone in the car full of thugs exclaims. ‘Locked and loaded, bro!’ another thug replies, holding up a weapon. ‘YEAAAHHH! We’re gonna teach them fools a little lesson in respect!’ another of the thugs declares, motioning to another boy outside, sitting on the stoop of a building. ‘There’s one of them now. That’s their lookout!’ one of the thug declares. ‘Yeah? Well, tell him to look - at this!’ another of the thugs declares, as they aim their weapons out the car. ‘NOOOOO!’ the boy on the stoop suddenly screams, before the weapons fire, and the building explodes.
Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn. A funeral is breaking up, and the new hero called Aegis goes over to a boy who is crying. ‘Lester, I…I’m so sorry. Your brother was one of the good ones. We needed more like him in our neighborhood’ Aegis tells Lester, who replies that his brother wasn’t even doing anything wrong, wasn’t bothering nobody, was just walking down the street. ‘He shouldn’t be dead’ Lester whispers. Aegis swears to Lester that he and the rest of the New Warriors will put a stop to the violence. ‘Terry’s death will NOT go unavenged’ Aegis declares, before Lester hugs him.
Meantime, at the New York Fire Department, engine company 42. Mickey “Turbo” Musashi smiles as she enters the office of Mr Beck, who is reading a file on his visitor. Beck shakes Turbo’s hand and tells her to call him Dalton, thanking her for coming by, he adds that it is nice to meet her. ‘My pleasure. Anything I can do to help, you know’ Turbo replies. Beck explains that he is investigating the warehouse fire that Turbo helped put out, and is thinking she may have some information he can use. Beck adds that it is obvious the fire was arson, but that is no surprise to them. He explains that there have been a string of warehouse fires, and they all seem to have started the same way.
‘But there’s no connection between them, eh? That’s weird’ Turbo replies, before asking Dalton Beck if he isn’t a little young to be an arson investigator. ‘Yeah, I get that a lot’ Beck smiles as he gets up from behind his desk, and reveals that he is fresh out of college, and only been in the job about seven months. ‘But since we’re getting personal, I’ve got a personal question for you’ Dalton tells Turbo, who pauses, before replying ‘Okay’. Dalton smiles at her and asks ‘How do you like your coffee?’ ‘And way you like it’ Turbo smiles back, while thinking to herself ‘Urg! I can’t believe I just said that. Yeah, Mickey, he’s sure to think you’re a class act now!’
High over Manhattan, Namorita flies swiftly through the city, when suddenly, ‘Look out!’ a voice shouts. Namorita comes to a halt - it’s Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, who also comes to a halt, pointing out that they almost had a mid-air collision. ‘Well, well, Johnny Storm, the fantastic Human Torch in the flesh’ Namorita replies. ‘Not “fantastic”, that’s my brother-in-law. I’m merely amazing’ Johnny replies. ‘I thought Spider-Man was “amazing”!’ Namorita smiles. ‘He’d like to think that’ Johnny grins, before both drop down to the street below, where civilians are going about their business. Johnny tells Namorita that her likes her new costume, adding that white looks goon on her. ‘Thanks. I hear Mr Blackwell hates it’ Namorita replies. ‘Aw, what does he know?’ Johnny remarks.
The Human Torch asks Namorita how long it has been since they have seen each other. ‘You’d think we’d get together more often - considering the history our families share’ Johnny suggests. ‘Oh yeah, like how my cousin almost destroyed your sister’s marriage?’ Namorita smiles. As he turns his flame off, returning to human form, Johnny begins to reply ‘Heh, well -’, when suddenly, someone shouts ‘Don’t move!’ Namorita and Johnny spin around, only to be confronted by a photographer. ‘Hold that pose, now. I wanna get one more snap!’ the photographer tells them. ‘Great. We shoulda stayed up huh’ Johnny replies. Namorita replies that it might not have been helped, as she has been chased by helicopters before.
Johnny smiles as he tells Namorita that a picture of the two of them is worthy probably five figures. ‘We’re gonna see it plastered on the front page of every rag in the city’ he exclaims. Namorita declares that they should really give the press something to talk about, and informs Johnny that she has to attend a benefit dinner tonight for an environmental charity that she supports. ‘I could use a date’ she explains. Johnny snaps his fingers and calls out to the photographer: ‘Yo, bud. Feast your eyes on this!’, as he takes Namorita’s hand and kisses it, telling her that he would be delighted to be her escort. ‘Excellent’ Namorita smiles, telling Johnny to pick her up at six o’clock. ‘Beautiful!’ the photographer calls out. The young heroes take flight, with Johnny informing Namorita that he is actually on his way to her place, to talk to one of her teammates. ‘Cool’ Namorita replies, telling the Human Torch to drop on in through the skylight. ‘They won’t care’ she assures him. Johnny thanks Namorita and tells her he will see her tonight. ‘Looking forward to it!’ Namorita replies as they take off in separate directions.
Minutes later, at the Warrior’s Crashpad HQ, Bolt and Turbo are standing around by the computer console with Robbie Baldwin a.k.a. Speedball and Rich Rider a.k.a. Nova. The Human Torch does indeed drop down through the skylight, apologizing for dropping in unnaounced, he tells them that he ran into Namorita and that she said he could come over. ‘Is it just me, or does she look even hotter without the green bathing suit? Er, not that I’ve ever seen her without the bathing suit on. I should be so lucky’ Johnny exclaims. Speedball smiles, while Nova scowls and asks ‘Hey, Flamebrain - to what do we owe the “pleasure”?’. Johnny turns his flame off, and asks Nova if that is any way to speak to him, especially after his brother-in-law fixed those weird power surges he was having. Nova falls silent, and Johnny adds ‘I didn’t think so’.
The Human Torch remarks that he knows Buckethead and has met Speedball. ‘But you two are new to me’ he tells Bolt and Turbo, turning to them. Bolt introduces himself and explains that he just joined the Warriors not too long ago. ‘I’m Turbo’ Mickey calls out. ‘Great. You’re the one I want to talk to’ Johnny tells her. Mickey is surprised, and Johnny reveals that he heard about the warehouse fire that Turbo pout out. ‘Some idiots in the media were saying that I had something to do with it. So I decided to have a look at the remains’ Johnny explains. He adds that if it was arson, it is probably super-human in nature. He tells Turbo that he wanted her to know, in case she was following it up on her own. Turbo thanks him, and announces that she is following up on it. She offers to keep Johnny in the loop, and he thanks her for, before taking off back up through the skylight, calling out that Namorita knows how to get in touch with him.
‘Ouch. That’s gotta hurt’ Speedball smiles at Nova. ‘Gee, thanks, Toothpick’ Nova replies. ‘Hey, she’s your ex-girlfriend, dude. Not like you’ve got dibs on her anymore’ Robbie tells Rich, when suddenly, Aegis rushes in. ‘Thank God you guys are here!’ he exclaims. Speedball asks the new recruit what is up, to which Aegis announces that he has a mission for them.
Later, in an old pool hall, in the East New York section of Brooklyn. A skinny man calls out to another man, called Lobo, telling him that these “Warriors” wanna talk with him. Aegis leads Nova, Speedball, Turbo and Bolt into the pool hall, where several men are playing pool. ‘We don’t want any trouble - just talk’ Aegis calls out. ‘Yeah? So talk’ the well-built man called Lobo exclaims as he goes over to Aegis. Aegis explains that they know some members of Lobo’s set were killed by the Born 2 Die gang, ‘And we know you’re gonna want some get-back’ Aegis adds, remarking that Born 2 Die will retaliate, and on and on. ‘It’s a vicious circle, and we want it to end here. We want you to surrender your weapons to us’ he states. Lobo just stares at Aegis, while a younger guy laughs: ‘Hah! Mister Cape wants you to take our heat away. Hey, boy, what you use to polish that hunk of metal on yo chest?’ he calls out.
Aegis turns to the boy, and goes wide-eyed as he recognizes him as someone called James. Lobo tells James to shut up. ‘I need ta think’ he declares. ‘You need ta what? Why you even listening to this nonsense?’ James asks. ‘Because they might have a point. Do I gotta remind you of how many of our friends we seen buried?’ Lobo asks. ‘Good. This isn’t something to take lightly. It deserves your thought’ Turbo tells Lobo, while James suddenly raises a large gun, ‘I got what you deserve - right here!’ he shouts as he fires the weapon towards Aegis, who tells his teammates to get clear, explaining that his chest plate can absorb the blasts. The other New Warriors leap to safety, as does Lobo, who dives to the floor. ‘Nuts - more shooting! Maybe there is no way to end this stuff’ he thinks to himself.
‘Follow the bouncing ball, homies!’ Speedball jokes as he bounds between two of the gang members, while Nova flies towards another two members who are getting another gun ready. ‘Didn’t anyone ever tell you guys that guns are dangerous?’ Nova asks as he grabs them and lies out the window. Another gang member turns to Lobo and tells him not to just stand there, but to et blasting. Lobo picks up a weapon and fires it. Energy pours from the weapon, and he tells himself that this is what it comes down to - someone pushes you, you push back. Turbo has released a turbine, which Speedball suddenly bounds into, knocking him into a wall, despite Mickey tell him to watch out. Bolt releases his electrical energy at Lobo and the other gang member: ‘Kinda like grabbing an electric fence, isn’t it, guys?’ he asks them as they drop their weapons in agony.
Suddenly, ‘You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us, freak!’ another shouts, firing a blast of energy at Bolt. Bolt manages to duck, but the blast slams into the wall, which begins to crumble. ‘NO!’ Aegis exclaims as the wall starts to fall towards Bolt and the gang member called James.
Meanwhile, in the undersea city of New Atlantis, a horn sounds, while Namorita approaches several Atlantean warriors. ‘Look at her. Ready to take on the world. Your younger cousin shares all of your tenacity, Prince Namor’ remarks Ashur, who sits beside Namor the Sub-Mariner, on his throne over New Atlantis. ‘This you needn’t tell me’ Namor replies, before asking Ashur how his tests went. Ashur replies that he examined Namorita to the fullest extent of their technology, and that he has established her body is still mutating. Ashur explains that when the renegade scientist Vyrra cloned Namor’s cousin, Namora, he implanted the cloned fetus in Namora, so she could give birth to a “daughter”, because Namora was a pink-hued half-breed, like Namor, she suffered certain physical difficulties when she reached puberty.
Ashur continues, explaining that in order to spare Namorita the same fate, Vyrra spliced in DNA helix codes from ancient Atlantean warriors, which is why Namorita temporarily mutated in a form resembling one of their ancestors, when she called herself Kymaera. ‘We thought that her condition had stabilized after that metamorphosis. We were wrong. We staged this little exhibition to illustrate the changes that have befallen our princess’ Ashur declares. One of the warriors throws a net over Namorita, and Ashur explains that the ancient DNA that is a part of Namorita’s genetic make-up has mutated again, resulting in her mutating back to her original pink-hued form, and changing her powers. As the net melts around her, Ashur explains to Namor that Namorita can secrete a highly corrosive acid-like substance from her skin, and like a number of fish, Namorita can camouflage herself, becoming nearby invisible to predators. Namorita demonstrates this as two of the warriors swim towards her, only to crash into each other. Ashur tells Namor that this ability works both voluntarily and involuntarily, protecting her from harm should she gall unconscious.
‘Watch. This one thinks he’s approaching undetected’ Ashur tells Namor as a third warrior approaches Namorita from behind. ‘The final power we’ve catalogued - in addition to her previous abilities - is another acid derivative. This one is a paralyzing toxin, which can immobilize a foe’ Ashur tells Namor as Namorita spins around and grabs the warrior by the arm. An instant later, he falls to the sea floor. Ashur tells Namor that he would like to say that Namorita’s body has stopped mutating, but that in truth, he cannot. ‘We will just have to wait and see’ he remarks. Namorita is welcomed into the palace, and stands beside Namor the Sub-Mariner, who displays her before the citizens of New Atlantis, and shouts: ‘Hear me! Kymaera is no more! On this day, I give you - PRINCESS NAMORITA!’.
Back at the pool hall, ‘James…Bolt…OH MY GOD!’ Aegis exclaims as the wall falls towards them. He knows the wall will crush them, and that his own force field cannot extend far enough to protect the both of them. Bolt and the younger boy both look scared, but then Aegis rushes forward. ‘Sorry, Bolt - but I owe James’ Aegis thinks to himself as he grabs the boy, leaving the bricks and concrete to land on Bolt, who screams in agony. Everyone else stops what thewy are doing - Speedball stands over two other gang members, while Nova has returned, and holds up his opponent by his neck. ‘BOLT!’ Nova shouts as he then speeds over to the fallen wall, and starts lifting up slabs of concrete. ‘Hang on, Sparky. You’re gonna be okay!’ Nova assures Chris.
Nova then turns to Aegis and tells him that he is lucky Bolt is alive. ‘When this is all over, you and I have gotta have a serious talk’ Nova tells Aegis, while James slinks away to the window, where Lobo is looking out, and sees that the cops have arrived. ‘If we wanna get outta here - we gotta keep the Warriors distracted’ Lobo declare. One of the other gang members begins firing at the police officers. Aegis sees James pull out a grenade - ‘Don’t!’ he shouts. ‘I saved you, man - you owe me!’ Aegis tells him. ‘Sorry, bro. We’ve both got our sets to protect’ James replies, before smirking and tossing the grenade towards the New Warriors. ‘NO!’ Aegis shouts. ‘Look out!’ Turbo exclaims as the grenade falls toward her, Bolt and Speedball - only for Nova to grab it. ‘Nice buddy you got there, Aegis. He’s real…generous’ Nova remarks, before flying out of the building.
Nova calls out that he will be right back, ‘I hope’ he thinks to himself, then, high above the city, an instant later, the grenade explodes, knocking Nova back through the air. ‘Whew! That was fun!’ he tells himself, while, down below, Turbo and Speedball are using their powers to put out the police cars that have caught on fire thanks to the weapons fired by the gang members. Aegis watches from the sidelines, and nervously wonders ‘What have I done?’
Back in New Atlantis, Namorita follows Namor through the city, and asks him ‘What’s this about you seeling Oracle Inc and the Heroes for Hire operation?’, to which Namor explains that it is true he founded Oracle Inc to combat environmental injustices, and over the years it got further and further away from that, so it was foolish for him to think he could solve the world’s problems from a boardroom. ‘I will no longer fund surface world endeavors’ Namor explains. ‘Um…all surface world endeavors?’ Namorita enquires. Namor frowns and tells his cousin that he assumes she has a point to the query, so should get to it.
‘Well, when you were presumed dead, I oversaw the construction of New Atlantis and it wasn’t cheap’ Namorita begins, explaining that she had to rely on a lot of her own money to help cover the costs, and it almost bled her dry. She informs her cousin that they have reformed the New Warriors, but that they have no cash. ‘I respect that you don’t want to bankroll any more surface-dwellers but…’ her voice trails off. ‘You were hoping I’d make an exception’ Namor states. Namorita tells him that he can think of it as a loan, that the New Warriors will pay him back. ‘And this is important to you?’ Namor enquires. ‘Very’ Namorita assures him. ‘Then it will be done’ Namor assures her.
At the Crashpad, later, Nova slams Aegis against a wall and tells him that he has some explaining to do. ‘I don’t have to explain anything to you’ Aegis replies defiantly. Nova raises a fist: ‘If that’s the way you want it…’ he begins, before Turbo rushes over: ‘Hey - HEY!’ she calls out. ‘Thanks, Turbo. I’m glad someone -’ Aegis begins, but Turbo interrupts him, explaining that just because she is stopping Nova from caving his skull in, doesn’t mean she is on his side. With crutches propping him up, Bolt stands near Speedball, and tells Nova and Aegis to calm down. ‘Aegis must have had a good reason for saving that kid over me. It’s because the kid was closer, right?’ Bolt suggests. ‘Because you knew you couldn’t get to me in time, right?’ Bold adds. ‘I…’ Aegis begins, glancing out the window, when he sees a car pull up to the fenced-off Crashpad. ‘…my God…they’ve come after us…’ he utters, before urgently telling everyone to get out.
‘Why? Because you say so, oh trusted teammate?’ Nova asks. Turbo looks concerned, while Aegis shouts ‘NOW!’ and outside, two gang members fire large weapons at the New Warriors’ Crash pad - which suddenly explodes in spectacular display!
