Meet the Protectors!

"I never realized just how tall Swan Tower was," Arachnid-Kid thought to himself as he crawled up the side of the tower, peeking into darkened office windows as he scaled his way up to the penthouse level. "I should've packed a lunch for the climb!" Just then, he felt the phone that Crimson Cat had given him vibrate and he pulled it out of his pocket to read the message as he clung to the side of the tower.

CRIMSON CAT: I didn't mean 'swing by' literally. You could have used the elevator, you know.

Kid raised his head to look up to the penthouse balcony and saw Crimson Cat grinning wide waving down to him, with the blond-haired goddess, Thunderhead, doing the same next to her as her golden braids blew in the breeze. "Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid," the wall-crawler groaned under his mask as he climbed the last of the tower, then leaped the up the last floor and landed on the balcony. "Heh heh.. Hello, Ladies. Sorry if I kept you waiting!"

Crimson Cat had a drink ready for him and handed him a glass as she gave him a flirty smile. "Glad you could make it, Webs. Welcome to the party." The stunning redhead was in her cleavage-revealing crime-fighting catsuit, and Thunderhead was in her metallic unform, as were the rest of the members of the team in attendance. "And don't worry, there's no in your drink."

"W-what?" He was glad that he hadn't taken a drink yet, or he may have spit it out in surprise. "Why would I care about that?" He asked, trying to make his teenage voice sound a little deeper.

Thunderhead clapped a hand to his shoulder, laughing. "The Protectors studied you well before allowing your invite, young wall-crawler. We know your real name, where you attend school..." Her strong but feminine hand gave a firm squeeze to Kid's shoulder as she leaned in and half-whispered in his ear with a mischevious grin. "...what sort of websites you visit." Feeling his muscles tense beneath her fingers, she laughed loudly. "I only jest," the blond goddess chuckled. "About the websites, at least. Have no fear. Your secrets are safe with us." The hammer-wielding heroine stood a foot taller than Arachnid-Kid at 6'5" and as she laughed, the shorter hero's eyes were level with her massive armor-plated bust, the twin mountains of titflesh jiggling with her laughter.

"So.. You know my name? Where I live?" he asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Cat nodded and took a sip of her own drink. "Mid-Knight's not called a super-genius for nothing," she said as she nodded to the dark muscular man in the cobalt-blue crime fighting costume. "And we don't invite anyone with out doing our research. We know that you're a straight-A student. Live with your Aunt. Maybe we know a few of the websites you visit," she added with a cheeky smile. "We considered just dressing up in our civilian clothes for this meet and greet, but thought you might be more comfortable in with masks, til you were sure you were joining."

Thunderhead's strong grip on his shoulder turned him toward the party inside as she suggested, "Come! Let's introduce you to the rest of the team! I know that you've fought by our side before but this is a special occasion!"

The three heroes entered the lavishly decorated penthouse and immediately drew the attention of everyone inside, the conversations growing quiet as heads turned their direction.

Mid-Knight was the first to approach them, wearing a half-mask that lest the lower-half of his face exposed and showed off his confident smile. "Well! You finally made it! Welcome, Archnid-Kid! Or should we call you Mister Kid?" He took the younger hero's hand in his fingers and gave it a strong squeeze as they shook hands.

Kid winced under his mask from the tight grip. "Just Kid is fine," he said as the group drew closer around them. "I've met a few of you before, but I don't think we've ever been introduced." He glanced around the groups and nodded to the one he knew and recognized from their battles together.

First was the red-headed super spy who had invited him the the group. "Crimson Cat, of course. We've taken down quite a few criminals together." She raised her glass to him with a nod back and added, "And hopefully many more."

The towering amazon next to her, with long blond hair in braids like a viking shield maiden. "Thunderhead, the goddess of storms. We team-up to take down my nemesis, Deadbolt." The goddess gave a hearty laugh, "Tis true! His bolts were but static to one wielding the storm hammer!"

"Mid-Knight. Of course, everyone know who he is. The founder of the Protectors!" Almost as tall as Thunderhead, the dark-skinned leader gave a small nod, adding with a smirk, "And the one who bankrolls this whole operation, so take it easy on the open bar tonight."

Kid turned to a dainty violet-robed figure sitting on the sofa, probably shorter than he was if she were standing. "And you're Purple Haze, right? The meddler of minds?" Her skin was pale but her dark-hued lips spread in a smile as she nodded silently to him. "We've never met, but I've heard good things about you," Kid added.

On the other end of the long sofa sat the last two members, a pair of dusky-skinned siblings that Kid had met once before. The brother sat on the seat with a fanged grin while his sister sat on the edge of the sofa, her arm draped around her brother's shoulder as she swirled the ice around in her glass. "And the super-siblings, Chupacabra and Aqua Marie." The two appeared to be twins, with similar good looks and dark lustrous hair, as well as matching sky-blue uniforms that showed off their well-toned bodies.

Mid-Knight clapped his hands as he stepped to the center of the group. "Well done," he said with a hint of sarcasm, "You've passed the role call part of the exam, Kid. I'll spare you the suspense and tell you that we've already taken a vote and have decided unanimously to admit you to our prestigious little group." He raised his glass in the air. "To our newest member! May he survive long enough to enjoy the experience! Cheers!"

The rest of the team raised their glasses for the toast and cheered before the conversations began again. The next couple hours passed quickly for the Arachnid-Kid as he got to know his new team members better, even managing to eke out a small bit of conversation with the seemingly shy Purple Haze.