Jake's place was nearly empty. Just Jake, Huerta and Baxter sitting on the opposite sides of the bar, looking distractedly at the Tv, showing images of the parade.

This is Anita Guadalupe for Channel 7 news from the streets of Puerta Mibela for the first annual metahumans parade, celebrating the alleged contribute of La Perdita's metahumans to the cause of the War to Hell. Stars of the parade are the Vanguardians, the amazing heroes that took the place of the PSI Unit in the hearts of la Perdititians since Hurricane Jason, last year, when they greatly contributed to the safety of the population of the island

The images of the colorful parade were replaced by very noisy shots of various Vanguard members fighting vampires and helping people under pouring rain and fierce winds.

Since then, the government of La Perdita has shown respect and gratitude to those "mystery men", granting them nationality and a special status for operating on the island. In exchange the company has converted an unused warehouse into a state-of-the-art hospital at their own expense.

Images of the Glover memorial replaced the shots from the Hurricane. In a small picture window, the parade could still be seen.

But right after the completion of the hospital, it was destroyed by an unidentified force. That episode brought the first attack to the presence of Vanguard International on the island...

The images showed then a middle aged politician, the name "Lucius Maddox, minister of defense" superimposed.

"Frankly, I'm shocked and outraged that we've rolled out the red carpet for these shady foreigners. They call them 'Vanguardians' now... *snort* ...but they fail to 'guard' anyone! Where did they come from? What do we know about them, anyway? Who are they on the run from is what I want to know. Did they build Glover Memorial just so it could be virtually destroyed? They're certainly no 'Vanguardians' for La Perdita, but I can certainly believe they're some kind of 'vanguard' for a dark future for our fair island nation if they remain here. They seem to be little more than magnets for danger and destruction. And we in the government have no control over their actions, unlike the PSI-Unit who were created through a government program to protect our island paradise from these kinds of meta-terrorist threats. We certainly never had these kinds of problems before those foreigners came here..."

The images were back on the parade, the giant white furry form of Drax filling the screen.

Those events gave strength to the Anti-Vanguard movement, lead by Maddox itself, called "Concerned Citizens of La Perdita", but the temporary popularity of the group dwindled fast as the President and most of the members of the Parliament seems to favor Vanguard presence... a moment please... we have news incoming from the United Nations palace in New York...

Drax disappeared from the screen, replaced by the Council chamber of the UN. At the podium, General Secretary Kofi Hannan stood near a white long haired man in the grey and silver uniform of the Strikeforce. Jack Merlin. The Strikeforce leader pointed his index finger to a big screen behind them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are reunited here, today, to witness the tragedy behind the War to Hell, that caused millions of deaths on the soil of the great nation that houses this honorable organization, and costed the life of most of the agents and soldiers of the Strikeforce 1. We are here to discover who WAS Naecken, and who ARE his allies hiding in the shadows, ready to bring the war again toward our nations and peoples...

The screen showed images of an aircraft carrier, with French flag. Superimposed there is a date, 09-08-2001, and the words: "Courtesy of French Republic Marine. Merlin were commenting and translating the language used in the reel.

Aboard in the radar room a young ensign sits at his station observing the radar systems.

"Sir...Sir, we have a bogey on our trail. It´s coming up fast and straight for us, Sir!"

A elder officer bends to have a closer look at the screen.

"Good work, ensign. That was very quick of you. It´s moving at twicw the speed of sound. Alert the fliers to send a team of planes to see what it is. Should it prove to be hostile, just wing it and pick up the pilot. We don´t want a international incident on our hands. Well done lad."

Orders are issued as pretty soon two jetfighters are deployed to intercept the unknown aircraft.

"We have the bogey in sight, Sir. It seems to be glowing...and Sir, its not a plane, Sir."

"No, Sir. It´s not a UFO...It seems to be a man with wings."

"Yes, Sir...It could be a Meta, Sir."

"Its coming closer, should I fire, Sir?"

"Roger that, Sir!"

The two missiles suddenly turn and head for the second jet fighter instead.

The young pilot manouvres his fighter like never before but its a no win situation.

The telekinetic force directing the missels works much faster than the controls of a plane...soon a ball of fire is seen plunging towards the waves.

The other fighter opens his guns and fires at the meta, still flying onwards to the battle ship.

The bullets collect themselves into a larger ball, about ten times a bowling ball and then flies through the cockpit of the fighter. Smashing up both the equipment and the groin section of the pilot.

The jet hits straight on the command deck, killing the commanding officer and thirteen other officers in a huge ball of fuel ignited flames.

He lands on the flight deck, and is soon met with heavy side-arms fire, from the marines aboard.

A suggestion is made within him, and he lets the energy in his eyes engulf the marines, who are left crying on their knees, some even hysterical with laughter.

This was the first time Naecken was seen, ladies and gentlemen. The count is on nearly twenty person killed on his first apparition. Next time, he appears on Chicago O'Hare airport. Please, pay attention to the metas backing him.

The screen showed then images from CNN.

"CNN Late Breaking News 10-16-2001, 1,30 A.M.

An accident labeled by Chicago Police Department as “metahuman outbreak” is occurring right now at the O’Hare International Airport, in Chicago. It is unclear what is really happening, being a huge whirlwind of changing colors right above the arriving facilities, and fire everywhere, the only thing that we have been able to record.
Also, it’s interesting to note the presence of a few cows. Come back later for more news."

"Have you noticed who was standing in the mid of the fireworks? Naecken, right. And the ones with him? The man with the top hat? And take a look closer at this man...

The face of one of the metahumans is enlarged, and then superimposed with a shot of a man in his twenties, wearing a track runner suit. The two matches perfectly.

"Infamous olympic medallist Edulcore Cicciotto, the Eurostar, as it was called at that time. And who was the target of that metahuman outbreak? No one other that Eduardo Frederico, the only man in the world that had been able to challenge Ciccotto's superiority on the tracks, and that was present that night in the airport. I'll leave you the conclusion"

The images now shift to amateur footage of a circus show, where a blue skinned giant performs next to a long haired young man with top hat.

After much research, we have found where those renegades were hiding. A circus. We have followed the track of the circus though the country at that time. It left a path of destruction. Let's see: December 2001, the circus is in Chicago. The metahumans prison known as the Zoo is destroyed, and hundreds of very dangerous metas are set free. Like it has been proved, they will lately cause the holocaust the city is sadly well known for. During the night, two of the biggest banks in the city were robbed. More on this later. Christmas of 2001, the Circus is in Thunder City, on the east coast. That very night, the Tri-Vex Company tower, the leading, at that time, facility regarding genetic research, and responsible for the discovery of the metagene and for exposing Cicciotto as a meta, causing the retire of all of his medals and his fall into disgrace, was destroyed by a group of people dressed as Santa and his elves. There is just one picture of that group...

The screen showed a grainy black and white picture on a newpaper of eight people, one Santa, one tall man dressed as a reindeer and six elves.

... but their facial features and heights matches perfectly with those of the Sardella's bros, their circus cover. The reindeer, no needs to point it out, is Naecken. he same night, again, a bank in Thunder was depleted of all the deposits. January 2002, the Circus left the continent and resurfaces in Mandelovia. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Mandelovia. You start to see a connection? After the arrival of the circus in Mandelovia, that once democratic nation decides to give its back to the rest of the world, becoming an isolated dictatorship. And the runaway group of metas becomes something more structured, without leaving their hidden purpose. Please, pay attention...

On the screen appear the screenshot of a website, with the name MBL, images of the tiny island nation of La Perdita.

The MBL! Mercenaries at the sold of ruthless dictators! Financing themselves in any odd way, for the purpose of starting a revolution that should put them in charges of the world. MBL: Metahuman Brotherood of Liberation! See this:

Footage from a security camera. On the bottom it reads Chicago Windy City Bank, and the date 01-10-2003. Seven men dressed in colorful costumes entered and robbed the bank, shouting their names.

As you have clearly seen, Cicciotto and Naecken are among them. But that's nothing compared to what went after... at
Quote:

Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL, USA, 9:36 AM.

The men casually strolled through the open gates with the rest of the crowd. When they approached the ticket booth, the man in the tuxedo simply said something to the booth worker and smiled. The men entered the park without paying.

"Ok, remember the plan, spread out through the park, act casual. When I give the signal, go." The man in the tux, gave the orders to the rest of his crew who followed them implicitly.

The large, muscular man with the ram face and horns, scratched absently at the blue paint that he had to wear for the sake of this job. "Stuff itches; I hate it." He mumbled. His partner in the red spandex outfit and mask seemed to preoccupied to notice.

At precisely 12:00 PM, "Nowhereman" gave the order. The Metahuman Brotherhood of Liberation struck.

"TC" used his abilities to slow down a crowd of people in front of a roller coaster, while making the ride go ever faster and faster. Finally, it skipped the tracks and jumped the side of the railing.

"Naecken" used his brute strength and horns to bring down as many buildings as he could, while "Eurostar" used his metagene to mimic the abilities of his many of his partners as possible.

"LLance" stood and shrugged off a blow from a security guard. The guard's hand felt like he'd broken it. If he had been able to look, he might have seen what would appear to be a metallic sheen where his hand had struck the man's face. "LLance" proceeded to pummel the guard mercilessly.

"Danny" began summoning as many temporal duplicates of himself as he could to maximize his destructive capability.

"Velo" unleashed massive amounts of concussive force beams from his hands, lashing out at anyone or anything in his sight. At one point, he carved the initials "MBL" on the side of a half-standing building.

"Mxy" used his hallucinogenic abilities to cause entire crowds to voluntarily commit suicide, some gouged out their own eyeballs, while others walked directly into "Velo's" force blasts or "Naecken's" Charging body.

By 3:37 PM, the entire park was a ruin. The meta human terrorists had allowed a local news crew to film the carnage, broadcasting live, then did away with them as well. As "Eurostar" ran the camera, "Nowhereman" addressed the viewing audience.

"This is a warning to the norms. The day of the metas is coming. We have been gathering power for months. We have done small acts, here and there, but no more. Now we shall strike, and strike hard. The government has had their chance, and failed. The day of the Metahuman Brotherhood of Liberation is at hand. Be ready, for the MBL is here!"



And then, we had the destruction of Promethan City and Athanon City, on the east and west coast of America."

The screen shows the face of Naecken, now red, asking the world to surrender.

And Paris, too, would have fallen, if not for the intervention of the late and lamented Hero, Frank Mullarney, the greatest hero our planet has ever seen, who single handedly destroyed the falling meteor before it strook the city of lights

The screen shows Hero waving his hands above the crowd just after the save, and then the images of his funeral, with millions of Parisians crowding the streets around the burial site.

Finally, we can show you how Hero died, defending the world from the evil forces of the MBL and Mandelovia...

The screen is filled by the green tinted images of light enhanced night shots. Hero, in the shining uniform of the Strikeforce, respond, blow after blow, to another man, of similar build, totally naked if not for what seems a very ripped shorts. Finally Hero fall dow, but is visibly still alive. Then, his opponents is joined by a taller man, who seems to wear a death mask. The man raises a two side Axe, and fiercely push it on Hero, craking his sternum.

A chilling silence permeated the chamber of the UN council.

Cold bloodily killed when he was out of commission, totally ignoring Geneva's conventions. That, ladies and gentleman, is how Hero, the man who saved Paris, was killed. And the man which killed him, wearing a so appropriate death mask respond to the name of Grimm, the NEW leader of the MBL, stepped to leadership after the men and women of the Strikeforce gave their life to destroy Naecken once and for all.

Ladies and gentleman, we have won a battle, not the war. This Grimm and his men, the MBL are still alive. They hide in the ilsand of La Perdita, and have re-christened their movement Vanguard. But their goals are the same, supremacy for the meathumans and to rule the world, with their sordid allies of always...

On the screen appeared image of a Mandelovian check point, with huge banners hanging down from the buildings reading "Welcome Vanguard!" and "Mandelovia Loves You!"

So, let me get this straight: the victory in Antarctic doesn't make this world safer than before. The Metahuman Brotherood for Liberation still exist, going strong and preparing their new moves safely hiding in the Caribbeans. Within months, the new Strikeforce 2 will be ready to take care of any problems should arise. In the meantime, I ask this honorable convention to order the nation of La Perdita to surrender the associates of the so called "Vanguard International" to Interpol, to be judged by the Den Hague International Courts for the crimes commited all around the planet!"

The images on the TV at Jake's place shifts back on the newswoman of Channel 7, the parade still going behind her.

I... I am speechless. Julio, is there any reaction for the Government?"

The images went to the studio, a newsman looking very worried and sweating.

Yes, Anita, Minister of Defense Lucius Maddox has announced a press conference in half an hour

Exactly five minutes later, the cell phone of Kit Piper began to ring. "Kit, I'm Victoria. Leave the parade immediately, and go to the Presidential palace. You have an appointment with the President in less than ten minutes. Pay well attention to me, this is what you have to do...

As Kit was walking steadily away from the crowd, still dressed as Santa, from a few windows of the buildings above the parade, rotten fruit and vegetables began to fall over the colorful assemble of celebrating metas.