‘Attention all super-villains! Please walk - don’t run - to the nearest exit! This is not a drill!’ orders Rich Rider a.k.a. Nova as he and his teammates - Robbie “Speedball” Baldwin, Namorita, Mickey “Turbo” Musashi, Chris “Bolt” Bradley and Trey “Aegis” Rollins burst into a warehouse. ‘The Warriors are in the house!’ Nova exclaims, and down below, five mutants - Burner, Lifter, Peeper, Slither and Shocker - look up at the young heroes in shock. As the New Warriors begin to apprehend the mutants, Turbo asks ‘These guys are called “Mutant Force”?’ Speedball replies that he is afraid so. ‘Sheesh. All the good names really have been taken!’ Turbo declares as she knocks Lifter back on a powerful turbine.
Aegis informs Shocker that his chest plate will absorb whatever energies he throws at him, while Namorita dives towards Burner and tells Aegis to stop explaining his powers to these losers and take them down. ‘Er, sorry, Nita’ Aegis mutters, while Slither and Peeper start to run away from the battle. ‘Don’t let them hurt me, Slither!’ Peeper calls out, while Speedball and Bolt chase after them. ‘Come on, did you guys really think you could just walk off with this armoured car full of money - and not have someone come after you?’ Bolt asks. Peeper goes into the fetal position and asks him to go away.
Nova locates the armored car and rips open the outer, while telling Bolt to do a little less talking and more hitting. ‘Hey! This cracker-jack’s got a big surprise!’ Nova declares as two security guards are inside the vehicle. ‘Whew! Nova, thank God! We didn’t know what we were gonna do if those goons broke in here!’ one of the guards tells him. ‘Just remember our names when those reporters come talking to ya’ Nova tells the guards, before asking Speedball if he needs a hand. ‘Almost got it…just one more bounce…and voila! Right into the truck!’ Speedball calls out as he bounds past Nova after grabbing Slither, and slams him into the truck. ‘Very nice!’ Nova smiles.
Namorita dodges some flame thrown by her opponent, and thinks to herself ‘I bet this “Burner” moron will have a checkout time trying to hit what he can’t see, while Bolt approaches Peeper, and calls out ‘Hey there, little guy…relax, we don’t have to fight’. ‘What? Which one of you is telekinetic?’ Burner calls out as he finds himself lifted into the air, while Bolt tells Peeper to surrender, suggesting that the cops might go easy on him. ‘I’ll put a good word in, for what it’s worth’ Bolt adds. ‘A telekinetic? None of us. Biut one of us is invisible!’ Namorita declares as she no longer remains transparent, and slams Burner into the ground. ‘You really are dumb, you know that?’ Peeper declares as he fires a blast of energy from his eyes at Bolt, striking him at close range. ‘ARGH!’ Bolt exclaims, and retaliates by blasting Peeper, knocking the strange mutant backwards. ‘That stings! I have gotta stop being so gullible!’ Bolt tells himself.
‘Sorry, Shocker, did I forget to mention that my breastplate can also dish out whatever it takes in? Silly me’ Aegis exclaims as he releases the absorbed energies, knocking Shocker backwards. Bolt grabs hold of Peeper, while the Lifter has regained his footing after being knocked aside by Turbo. ‘You think you’ve beaten us, kids? Think again! I’m the Lifter! I can nullify gravity and lift anything!’ he boasts. The New Warriors all smirk, and Nova grins: ‘Yeah. Okay. What’re you gonna do, lift us to death?’. Lifter frowns, and gives himself up. ‘You haven’t seen the last of me’ Lifter threatens as he is loaded into the truck. ‘Yeah, whatever’ Nova tells him. ‘Whoa! Time really flies when you’re enforcing justice! Guys, I’ve gotta run!’ turbo tells her teammates as she makes her exit.
Meanwhile, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, civilians go about their business as the snow falls around them. Dalton Beck is amongst them and speaks to Joe Silvermane on his mobile phone. ‘I know. Turbo’s on her way. We’re going on a date’ Dalton reports. ‘Yeah, another one’ he adds, assuring Silvermane that Turbo doesn’t suspect anything. ‘I’m very convincing’ he boasts, before telling Silvermane that as soon as Turbo trusts him, he will make his move, and then her armor will belong to him. ‘Hey, Dalton! Sorry I’m late. I was busy super-heroing, you know?’ Turbo smiles as she drops down from above. Dalton smiles back and tells Turbo that she will get no complaints from him, adding that he just got here himself.
Turbo wraps her arms around Dalton, then takes flight, ‘Where to?’ she asks him. ‘You’re in the driver’s seat! You tell me!’ Dalton replies, to which Turbo suggests that they could find a secluded pond somewhere and go ice-skating. ‘Is that too dorky?’ she asks. ‘Heck no, I love ice-skating’ Dalton exclaims, while thinking to himself ‘I hate ice-skating!’. Suddenly, there is a loud noise, and Turbo and Dalton turn their attention to the street below, where cars have crashed and water bursts from a pipe, while some of the road is broken. ‘It looks like a bomb went off!’ Turbo exclaims as they drop down. Dalton points out that they are right over the 1/9 track, so if a train was passing underneath here, it would have been crushed. He uses his cell phone to call 911.
Dalton tells the operator that he is with the FDNY and reports that explosion on 86th and Broadway, adding that they could be dealing with a gas leak. Civilians start to gather around and Turbo tells them that it is okay, as she is with the New Warriors. ‘Who?’ someone calls out. ‘Look, I’m a super hero, okay? Now I need you to get back so we can try and find out what happens’ Turbo declares, before telling Dalton that if this is a gas leak, they cannot afford to wait for the fire department. She points out that if there are people down there, they could be breathing gas fumes. Turbo tells everyone to stand clear, as she has an idea, and begins firing turbines at the road, close-range, she hopes to blast a tunnel entrance.
Turbo’s plan works, and taking hold of Dalton, they drop into the subway beneath the road, where they find a derailed train, full of dazed and confused passengers. Turbo can’t see any bodies, so hopes that means there are no casualties. ‘You know first aid, right? See if you can help some of these people’ Turbo tells Dalton, who thinks to himself ‘Guess I’d better play the hero…if I wanna keep getting close to her’. Dalton finds his first “patient” and tells the woman that he thinks her leg might be broken, so they will have to set it. Dalton calls out to Turbo, telling her that he doesn’t smell gas, so it must have been something else that caused the explosion.
Some of the passengers begin running towards Turbo in a panic: ‘Get us out of here!’ one of them, shouts. ‘What happened?’ another enquires. ‘You’re a super hero…do something!’ someone pleads, while another declares that they are going to miss their interview, and someone else announces that their cell phone won’t work. ‘I can’t find my husband!’ someone exclaims, while another asks if mutants caused this. ‘What are you going to do?’ someone asks. ‘Why are you just standing there?’ another demands. ‘HELP US!’ someone shouts. ‘Okay, okay, just back up and give me some room to tunnel!’ Turbo exclaims, releasing turbines which unfortunately knock several of the civilians backwards.
There is a loud rumbling, and some of the tunnel begins to cave in. ‘Oh, no…’ Turbo mutters. ‘She’s gonna bring the whole street down!’ one of the civilians exclaims as they cower away from Turbo, who turns to them and tells them that it is okay, and that she shouldn’t have freaked out the way she did. ‘I will get you out of here, but you’ve got to remain calm, okay?’ Turbo tells them, before announcing that she will fly back up through the entrance hole she made, and will rig up a ladder or something to get them all to safety. But, Turbo hears another rumbling and the street caves in from where she entered the subway. ‘TAKE COVER!’ Turbo tells everyone as large rocks fall around them. ‘Oh, no…now we’re really trapped’ someone gasps. ‘And it’s her fault!’ another declares. ‘Um…not to sound unsupportive, but maybe you should call in some backup’ Dalton suggests. Turbo knows he is right, and taking out her comm-badge, hopes the signal can penetrate all the rock.
At the New Warriors Firehouse HQ, under the Manhattan Bridge, in Brooklyn, the hover pod is being painted by two of Aegis’s young friends, Lester and Payton. He goes out and asks them how it is going. ‘Hey, Aegis! Thanks for letting me and Payton paint your new ride!’ Lester declares. ‘You kidding me, Lester? I’d rather have you two putting your skills to work here than bombing some building somewhere’ Aegis replies. One of the boys asks him where he got that funky piece of “jewelry”, and realizing he is referring to the chest plate, Aegis explains that is a long story. One of the boys declares that they don’t have time to hear his secret origin now, ad that they have to admire their handiwork. ‘Check it!’ he adds as they look at the painted hover pod.
Meantime, at a pub in the East Village, footage of the New Warriors with the arrested Mutant Force is being shown, as the reporter states that the New Warriors pitched in when a band of mutant criminals hijacked an armored car earlier today, and when questioned, the authorities had no comment on the help they received from the teenage super heroes, but that the two security guards who were locked inside the armoured car were eager to thank them. Aegis is displayed prominently on the television screen above the bar, and a certain person sitting at the bad suddenly slams their mug of beer down upon seeing Aegis and shouts ‘Zounds!’
Meanwhile, over Central Park West, Namorita flies Bolt up to her penthouse apartment that Bolt now shares with her. ‘But they called me “Bulk”, Nita! “Bulk”!’ Bolt complains. He remarks that the Warriors finally get some press after they recovered the armored car, and the reporters cannot even get his name right. Namorita points out that “Bolt” does sound a lot like “Bulk” if you don’t enunciate clearly. Chris sighs and supposes that the next thing you know he will start getting called “Jolt” like the girl in the Thunderbolts. Namorita mutters that she wish she knew what a whiner Chris was before she invited him to be her roomate, and starts to take her clothing off, announcing that she is going to have a shower. The doorbell rings and Chris goes over to it. ‘Who is it -?’ he calls out, but as he opens the door, he sees his girlfriend, Donna Funaro standing there. ‘Hey!’ Chris exclaims.
Donna asks Chris if he knows how many reporters she had to pass just to get in the elevator. ‘Oh, yeah, Nita’s something of a celebrity, you know’ Chris replies. ‘Yeah I - OH!’ Donna gasps when Namorita walks past them, naked, with just a small towel wrapped around herself. Donna doesn’t look impressed. ‘Oh, geez…’ Chris utters, while Namorita waves to Donna and tells her that she is glad she could stop by. ‘Um, hi, Nita’ Donna replies, while Namorita tells Chris that when Johnny gets here, to let him know she will be ready in a minute. ‘Er, yeah, I’ll…um…tell him’ Chris stutters in response.
‘I thought you said this living arrangement was strictly platonic’ Donna asks Chris as she turns to him and frowns. Chris replies that it is, ‘Nita’s not…that is, we’re not…’ he begins, but Donna just laughs and tells Chris that he is so gullible. ‘I know there’s nothing going on between you guys, Chris. Like Nita would ever go for you’ Donna adds. ‘Oh, very funny! You know now that I’m a big-time celebrity I could always break up with you’ Chris points out. ‘Whatever you say, “Bulk”!’ Donna replies, before noticing something on the balcony. ‘Hey, Chris! Nita around?’ Johnny Storm a.k.a. the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four asks as he drops down on the balcony. Chris replies that Nita is almost ready while Donna gushes and tells Chris that he never told her Nita’s “Johnny” was Johnny Storm the Human Torch.
‘I am just gonna die!’ Donna exclaims. Namorita is showered and dressed and walks onto the balcony, telling Donna to put her tongue back in her mouth, before asking Johnny if he is ready to go. Taking flight, Johnny replies that if they hurry, they can still get a good seat. Namorita waves goodbye to Chris and Donna, and tells Chris not to wait up for her. ‘Wow, Chris, that’s awesome’ Donna exclaims. Chris tells Donna that if she has her composure back, he wants to show her something, as he thinks he has a problem. ‘Sure, babe, what’s wrong?’ Donna asks. Lifting his costume up and showing Donna his back, Chris replies that he doesn’t know if this has anything to do with his fight with Biohazard a few weeks back, or if it is the Legacy Virus slowing eating away at his body. ‘either way, my skin’s starting to break down’ Chris declares, while Donna looks at the flaky skin on Chris’s back.
Back at 86th and Broadway, one of the angry passengers asks Turbo what is taking her friends so long. ‘We need to get out of here!’ he exclaims. Turbo replies that she knows, but points out that they are buried deep, so she is not sure if her comm-badge signal is getting through. Suddenly, they hear a scratching noise, and turn to the train tracks, here some strange creatures have revealed themselves. ‘Oh my GOD! Some kind of creatures! They must’ve caused the disaster!’ someone exclaims as the yellowish creatures with large eyes stare back at them. The aggressive man raises a gun and begins firing at the creatures, despite Turbo telling him to wait. ‘I’m done listening to you, kid. Time to take matters into my own hands!’ the man shouts.
Turbo looks at the gun anxiously, recalling the last time she tried to disarm a gunman, how someone ended up dead. But she doesn’t have to intervene, as Dalton whacks the aggressive man in the back, ‘That’s enough, pal!’ Dalton exclaims as he takes the man’s fun, and puts it in his jacket pocket, deciding to hang onto it, as having a gun might prove useful later on. ‘Just sit there for a while and cool off, man’ Dalton tells the man, before turning to Turbo and asking her if she is thinking what he is - that since those creatures disappeared, there must be another way out. But Turbo isn’t sure and replies that she thinks they should remain here and wait for the rescue teams. Dalton points out that it isn’t safe, as they have already experienced a second quake. ‘Who knows when another one will occur?’ he adds, before smiling at Turbo and assuring her that he can lead them out of here. ‘Trust me’ he tells her.
Meanwhile, topside, ‘Why can’t we ever just be off-duty?’ Namorita asks as she and the Human Torch drop down on 86th and Broadway, where rescue teams are in operation around the opening of the road that broke apart. ‘That’s not how the game is played, Nita. You know that’ the Human Torch tells her, suggesting they see how they can help out. One rescue worker is on the phone to the Mayor, and announces that they don’t have an ETA yet, but are doing the best they can. He adds that the people below are in a very precarious situation. ‘We can’t move in our heavy machinery because it could cause another cave-in’ the rescue worker adds, before assuring the Mayor that he will keep him informed.
Namorita approaches the rescue worker and introduces herself and the Human Torch, before asking how they can help. The rescue worker informs the young heroes that there is an entire subway car sealed off, and at best estimates there are twenty people trapped, ‘And we’re having very little success getting them out’ he adds. The Human Torch tells him to leave it to them, while Namorita motions to a crowd that has gathered nearby, and people are starting to take photos of them. The Human Torch begins to use his flame to weld part of the sinkhole together so that there will no danger of another cave-in.
With the hole secure, Namorita uses her super strength to start pulling rubble away from it, in an attempt to dig the people out. ‘Hold that pose!’ someone shouts. ‘Are you getting this?’ another exclaims. ‘Go for the upshot!’ someone else tells Namorita, while another photographer boasts that this shot is going to buy him a new car. ‘Hey, kids! Bring your mother! You gotta see this!’ a man calls out, but with the cameras flashing in her face, Namorita gets annoyed. ‘Smile!’ someone shouts. ‘Okay, that’s it!’ Namorita shouts, warning the photographers and other people to move, otherwise she will drop the rock right on top of them. Everyone scatters immediately, leaving her in peace. ‘Much better’ Namorita declares.
High above the Earth, a large Xandarian spacecraft hangs, cloaked from all sensors and in a steady orbit. Inside the New Warriors’ hover pod, Speedball and Nova approach the spacecraft, with Robbie telling Rich that he is surprised he doesn’t come up here more often, that it is like having a summer house that you never use. Rich tells Robbie that it is no big deal, and adds that he is not just a member of the New Warriors, but a member of the Xandarian Starcorp. He explains that each member of the Starcorp has a specific sector that they have to guard, and his sector is the Terran Sector - Earth. ‘One of the perks is this Xandarian Cruiser, it’s basically just a floating office, though, really’ Rich adds.
‘Still, I’d be bringing dates up here all the time’ Robbie exclaims as they dock the hover pod in the spacecraft. ‘That’s a great idea, but it’d require you to get a date first, Toothpick’ Rich tells his friend. ‘That’s right, flatter me. That’s a great way to get me to go along with your scheme’ Robbie tells Rich, who replies that it isn’t a “scheme”, and that he just happens to think that a Warriors movie would be a big hit. ‘It’s a no-brainer!’ Rich adds as they make their way into the spacecraft proper, pointing out that they are the two best suited to write the screenplay. ‘Dude, people don’t even know who the Warriors are. The press can’t even get Bolt’s name right. You really think they’re gonna make a movie about us?’ Robbie asks.
‘You better believe it! And your Hollywood contacts are our ace in the hole’ Rich adds. ‘Hollywood contacts? You mean the internship I have at my Mom’s soap opera?’ Robbie asks, telling Rich to get real, and pointing out that if he doesn’t get his act together, he won’t have an internship. ‘I gotta stop ducking out for Warriors business’ Robbie declares. As Rich reaches a control panel, he exclaims ‘Oh no!’, so Robbie asks him what is wrong. ‘You were right about me not coming up here often enough. I’ve got a message from Queen Adora - that’s my boss - and it looks like it’s been here for over a month!’ Rich exclaims, concerned. He hopes it is nothing is important.
Rich activates the holographic messenger, and a projection of Queen Adora appears, pointing at Nova, she states: ‘Richard Rider…first centurion prime of the Starcorp of Xandar…you are in violation of Xandarian regulations’ the message begins. ‘What -?’ Nova exclaims, while Adora’s message continues, informing Nova that they have been monitoring his status and that he has been out of uniform for many cycles. ‘If you do not comply with the Xandarian dress code and reinstate your official uniform - we will be forced to take disciplinary action’ Adora’s message concludes. ‘Out of uniform? What the heck is she - d’oh! I’m an idiot!’ Nova exclaims, slapping his helmet. ‘Dude, what are you talking about?’ Speedball asks his friend. Rich explains that he forgot his morphing costume isn’t a costume - but a uniform! With that, Rich shifts his costume - uniform - back to the authorized version, and he smiles. However, he is unaware that on the planet Xandar, this is being monitored via cameras on the spacecraft. ‘Young Rider has overcome this hurdle admirably…now let’s just hope he can weather the coming storm’ one of the Starcorps officers declares.
Meantime, back beneath 86th and Broadway, Turbo and the civilians continue to follow Dalton, who tells them that he knows this isn’t easy, but that it will all be over soon. ‘Er, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded, honest’ he utters, before assuring them all that they just keep heading this way and will make it out of the danger zone. Suddenly, there is another loud rumble. ‘Oh, no! Another quake! We’re gonna die!’ one of the panicking civilians exclaims, while Turbo tells Dalton that he has to get these people out of here, and now. ‘Me? What about you?’ Dalton asks. ‘Just go! I’ll hold off the cave-in!’ Turbo replies as she releases turbines which blast back the falling rocks. ‘Let’s go people, stay with me!’ Dalton tells everyone. Turbo suggests they do as he says, and explains that she will cover them.
‘Talk about uphill battles - but I’ve got to buy them some time’ Turbo thinks to herself, as she places herself in danger, the rocks come spiralling down towards her, but she continues to fire turbines of wind at the falling rocks. Suddenly, a voice calls out: ‘Hey, lady - you gonna stand there all day? Let’s go!’, it’s Namorita, who helps Turbo fight off the falling rocks. ‘NITA! Man, am I glad to see you!’ Turbo tells her teammate. ‘Yeah, likewise. Now let’s move it before I rip my jeans!’ Namorita suggests, as they take flight down the tunnel. Namorita tells Turbo to follow her, as they have a command post set up in the connecting tunnel. ‘So, you got my distress signal?’ Turbo enquires. As she sees rescue workers up ahead.
‘Distress signal? No - we just saw a large hole in the street and figured something might be wrong down below’ Namorita explains, as they lead the civilians to safety. Turbo leaps into Dalton’s arms and exclaims ‘We did it!’. ‘We sure did!’ Dalton agrees, before the Human Torch approaches Turbo and tells her that Dalton told him about the creatures they saw, and that it sounds like they were Moloids. Johnny explains that the Moloids have been trying to find a new source of water for their underground home, and that they must have dug too close to the subway line. ‘Nice work, you two’ Johnny adds. Turbo smiles at Dalton, while Namorita frowns at him, and tells herself that something about him bugs her, but she can’t put her finger on what. ‘We really did it, didn’t we?’ Turbo grins. Dalton tells her that they did, and thanks her for trusting him.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, inside the corporate offices of Stark-Fujikawa, the parent company of Rand-Meachum. A security officer is doing the nightly patrol when he hears some creaking in the private office of Daniel Rand. ‘Freeze, you’re -’ the officer calls out as he enters and points his weapon, until he thinks he recognizes the intruder: ‘Oh my God! Are…are you the black Panther?’, but the teenager turns around, and after scattering various papers that are on Danny Rand’s desk, he replies ‘My name’s Night Thraser - and I must find Danny Rand!’
At Mickey Musashi’s Long Island apartment, Turbo and Dalton enter through the fire escape. ‘Wow…I mean, are you sure you’re ready for this, Turbo?’ Dalton asks her, pointing out that she has never told him anything about herself, and now she is bringing him to her apartment. ‘You proved yourself to me today, Dalton. And I’ve decided that I should be a little more giving to the people who are important to me’ Turbo adds, as she walks to her bedroom, telling Dalton to make himself comfortable while she chances. ‘Finally. I’ve waited weeks for this moment’ Dalton thinks to himself. He takes the gun from his pocket and tells himself that once Turbo is out of the suit, she is as vulnerable as the next guy, which means he can take the suit and collect his cash from Silvermane. Mickey enters the living area, and tells Dalton that she is sorry she took so long, but that this is the real her. ‘I am not going to regret this, am I?’ she asks, smiling, unaware that Dalton has the gun behind his back….
