Issue Ten: The Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit Issue/Assistant Editor's Month

After the discussion with Warbird, Blackbird retires to a barstool with his drink and a topographical map of the islands.

There's a conundrum here, of course: everyone knows that, this side of the Avengers Quinjet, the SR-71 is the fastest thing in the sky. So if this was the aerial equivalent of a straight race, the Blackbird would win.

In initial acceleration, he and Warbird would have the advantage, if only for a short period of time.

And maneuverability? That varied greatly with the speed involved.

Blackbird didn't want a rigged race. He also didn't want a gimme (for any of the parties involved). And so his fingers began tracing potential pathways from the nearby runway, around the most highly visible point on the beach, and circling around ... "No, we'd need to come around this way..." he says to himself, letting his finger divert over the rocky outcropping several thousand feet out to sea.

"Or you could do that here, right after takeoff," says someone behind him. Before he can turn, a finger emerges from his shoulder and taps the islands immediately opposite the runway. Sliding to the side, Kitty Pryde's arm comes out of his shoulder even as she stifles a giggle at the look on his face. "We had to dodge around them coming in to land."

Benni shakes her head, "Sorry Beorn, the pool party was this afternoon. Although you should use that speedo when you do your calender shoot." Benni winks comradely at Beorn. She blinks as Chris walks up and gives Beorn his jacket. She smiles at the show of chivalry.

Benni shakes her head, "It was going great until I accepted a sparring challenge from Thundra. She wanted to test out the new tough girl on the block." Benni pauses in memory, "That lady knows how to fight. I couldn't touch her and she was throwing me around like a rag doll. I bet you can still find indentations of where she threw me into the sand." Benni shrugs her shoulder, "Fortunately, she wasn't strong enough to actually hurt me and She-hulk was there to referee." Benni sighs, "But, I seemed to have offended her sensibilities by my lack of fighting skills. And the beating, excuse me, "sparring" session turned into a training session." The tall bronzed woman makes air quotes as she says sparring. She sighs, "And now she is going to arrange fighting lessons for me when I get back to Boston. Although, if I am going to be an Avenger, I will need to know how to fight."

Chris listens to benni go on and realises his time has been much more Idealic in comparison. Including the night ending before it could get going. Chris finishes his drink he looks over at Benni and smiles. I feal for you your time sounds way worse. Though I could have expected it if I knew the whole story before hand. You are the new big muscley chika on the block and is well know by almost all. Women can be much more harsh then men. That is why I chose to live my life as a dude more than a chick. I really do feal for you. Let me know what I can do to make it easier.

Beorn accepted the coat with profound thanks. "My friend, I owe you one."

Much more at ease, he reached under the coat for his bill and ordered himself a Shirley Temple from the barkeep.

To Benni he shrugged and asked, "They were serious about the photo-shoot? Grrr... and we have to do this? Well, sufficed to say, if that going to happen, I'll be wearing my aegis rather than this ridiculous swim-suit, but thanks for the heads up."

The story of her beating session made him wince. "The important part is that you seem unhurt? I hope?"

"I think it is voluntary?" Benni shrugs as she sips at her drink, smiling at Beorn's reaction.

Benni smiles at Beorn, "No harm but to my pride." Benni spins around to show Beorn and Chris that there isn't a bruise on her tall, amazon body, and there is plenty of skin showing, the tall woman wearing a white bikini and multi-colored silk skirt with a long slit up one side.

Benni nods at Chris, "Thanks for your concern, but I will be okay. And now I am getting good training." Benni looks at Chris speculatively, "You can change into a woman? Have you ever tried it?"

"Oh, it's voluntary. Well, that's okay I guess."

Beorn settled into his cocktail and was quiet a moment, then in a voice small enough that it could be hardly heard he mumbled, "Thor ... heh." His usually stoic face struggled to hide a grin.

"Wait a minute. A dude ... a chick ...?"

He spun around to eye Chris suspiciously.

"Which one are you?"

Beorn's apparent age was not a day older than the day in 1985 when he'd first stumbled into this world, but his heart was that of an ageing man, and though he was an open-minded sort, he was still a product of his times and not knowing the gender of a friend was very strange for him.

Skipping ahead to the following morning, MinuteMan, sans costume, but wearing an outrageously loud Hawaiian shirt accompanied by a baggy pair of swim trunks, walks barefoot across the warm beach and takes a seat next to EnergyStar.

Several rows of chairs have been set up along the beach in preparation for the Great Bird Race, as the word-of-mouth exchange mill has dubbed it. Of the three competitors, only Warbird has been seen so far this morning as she prepares a short distance away by performing some stretching exercises. Many of the males here to watch the race, perhaps not surprisingly, seem to be converging down the beach where Warbird is exercising.

MinuteMan carries two cold fruit smoothies in his hands and a bag under his arm. Each smoothie is accompanied by a small umbrella spearing several small chunks of tropical fruit which are native to Wakanda. After presenting EnergyStar with her drink and sitting down, MinuteMan opens the bag, reaches in, and extracts a large handful of what appeared to be nuts and other natural snacks. After tossing them into his mouth, he offers the bag to EnergyStar, asking "snack?"

EnergyStar reaches in and tosses a small handful into her mouth before letting out a short cry of pain. Reaching for her jaw, 'Star wonders if she chipped a tooth.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry!", MinuteMan says looking surprised. "I forgot...with my density control, I don't bother shelling the nuts...they have more fiber content that way...sorry...I should have cracked them first."

MinuteMan isn't positive, but he thought EnergyStar mumbled in response "Oh, I'll crack your nuts all right..."

Chris smiles up at Benni. Yes I can change into a women, and yes I have done so in the past. Considering my old duties such an ability was a boon to my work. Why Benni do you have something in mind. That is would you if I were a women.


Chris then looks over at Beorn. Beorn's facial expression causes Chris's smile to grow. Beorn my friend I was born a man. My natural appearance is as you see me now. Though I do still chose to make most my other forms men. That is of course unless I need them to be something else.

Benni bites her lower lip thoughtfully, "Well, there has always been a question in the scientific community on the differences of male and female responses to external stimuli, but separating culturally trained responses out of test subjects has always been impossible." Benni looks at Chris, "But with a shapechanger, that isn't a problem. Since your experiences and cultural teachings are the same whether you are male or female, any difference in response to external stimuli will have a hormonal basis." Benni goes on to talk about how such an experiment would help the scientific community in understanding gender differences better, explaining how the experiment would work, getting excited about finding other shapeshifters to run the experiment on, before stopping in mid-sentence as she realizes she hasn't asked if Chris would be amendable to said experiment, "Umm... that is if you would be willing to help in such an experiment."

Benni is on the beach, in one of the chairs, sipping a cold smoothie, she has a self made flag, and considering her engineering skills and computer skills it looks very good, flying on her chair saying "Go Blackbird!"

Chris looks at Benni as the thought rolls around in his head. He then checks to see if any one is listening in. Assuming he does not notice anyone. Chris smiles at Benni and say's, I have no problem with that what so ever. That is of course assuming the stimuli does not include getting punched. At least not by some one as strong as you. Other than that I am willing and interested.

Chris comes walking out to the beach carrying two drinks. He stops short of heading down to where Warbird is. He then sighs heavily and continues to walk down to where she is stretching. Chris walks straight past all of the ogling guys and up to Warbird. Good luck Carol I have a question though are you piloting one of the jets or flying under your own powers. This race was not explained rather well to me. Chris then hands Carol a glass of fruit juice.