Fight Sequence Rainbow Arc of Fire: Slight of Mind

This is the first time we see the four new super-heroes utilizing their abilities.

Chapter One

To view the interplay of persons behaving badly toward one another when the subjects are oblivious about being observed, about being judged.

To overhear a blunt world, accustomed to stating exactly what it means, while unconcerned that those who are targeted hover well within range.

At the edge of a strained and murky alley near the Village, on a hot summer night in New York, two hunky lovers stand, arms temporarily upraised while confronted by another man pointing a glinting gun.

"Please hand over your wallets, gentlemen," the unexpectedly polite mugger demands of the two, "and nobody will get hurt."

The weapon, unfortunately for this usually accomplished criminal, suddenly flies out of his hand and clangs into a convenient dumpster.

One of the intended victims then confidently remarks, "I don't think we'll be surrendering our wallets to you tonight. Sorry."

The startled gunman, with the odds two against one now that he's disarmed, turns and flees for the safety of numbers walking the sidewalks this evening. Escaping under a scraggly tree at the curb, the man is suddenly lurched from the concrete, however, and quickly lifted upward, collared by a conveniently low hanging branch. Immediately, he finds himself dangling helplessly from the limb, unable to shake loose.

Joseph, having used his power over plants to seize the criminal, then flags down a passing patrol car whose occupants make a quick arrest. The officers obtain the weapon from William who had used his magnetic powers to retrieve the gun from the dumpster.

On the opposite rim of the continent, two women dine with a few female friends at a rooftop restaurant featuring an incredible view of San Diego below. The sun begins to settle down for the evening, as an intense sparkle of city lights is pleasingly evident.

At a nearby table, a man loudly complains to his companion, a woman he hopes to ease into the sack soon after dinner, "I'm sick of faggots destroying the moral fiber of this country."

"Please lower your voice," his exasperated date tells him, furtively glancing about. "You might offend someone."

"Aw," the obnoxious man persists, "I don't give a damn what perverts think!" He gestures with a dismissive wave of a hand that accidentally brushes against a water goblet. Oddly, the glass tips toward him, spilling ice cubes and cold water into his lap and thoroughly soaking him.

"Damn," the angry man utters, standing up so suddenly that he topples a passing waiter's dessert tray against his chest, gooey vanilla ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce oozing down the front of his pricey shirt and tie. At the same moment, a sticky wedge of lemon meringue pie flips off of the falling tray and splats against his face, lodging there for a precious moment before dropping onto an expensive shoe.

His companion vainly tries to suppress the urge to giggle but soon cannot stop laughing, immediately fleeing to the ladies room and abandoning her hopeless date to his own devices.

At the adjacent table of lesbians, the dark-haired woman with flashing black eyes and telekinetic abilities snickers to herself while continuing to enjoy her dinner, as well as converse warmly with her friends.

With a hint of a smile betraying true feelings, her blond lover, who commands light and darkness, as well as heat and cold, looks askance at the culinary disaster unfolding close by and then softly chides, "Joan, you really shouldn't have done that."

"I know, Marina," the dark-haired woman responds with a mischievous wink. "I really hate to see good food go to waste."

In a high-rise condominium overlooking Cheesman Park in the midst of the Capitol Hill region of the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado, two other powerful gay men conclude a meal at their dining room table.

The younger man asks his lover, whose eyes are closed, hinting at telepathic preoccupation, "So, Greg, how are our four pagan friends doing on their respective vacations?"

"Fine," the older man smiles as he opens his eyes, severing his long distance eavesdropping of both coastlines. "They seem to be enjoying themselves immensely."

"Are they trying out their new supernatural abilities?" Paul asks with a curious grin, since he has been able to control air, earth, fire, and water for more than a year, after accompanying his lover and his four friends, members of the Rainbow Arc of Fire, a gay pagan band, into the mountains on an Autumn Equinox retreat.

"Yes," Greg confirms, bemused. "It's certainly comforting to know that we can now count upon a quartet of accomplices in our on-going battle against hardened criminals and stupid homophobes."

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