The coffee was burnt. Someone deserved a firing. Sam silently chewed the coffee as he changed the pot. Normally he didn’t have to work nights. Not since his younger self hired a bartender that could make her own alcohol. He was still waiting to hear back about serving the stuff. Mutant powers have a tendency to raise a few flags during consumption. Anyways. She had the night off and then there was another call off. It was a Saturday night and his bar only had one bar tender. He decided to step in. The regulars could get rowdy.

For the most part his current bartender was handling things great. There was supposed to be a fill in coming in later then he could do what he normally did on a Saturday night and duck out early. While the crowds could rowdy they all knew that Sam had no problems stepping in. Last time his younger self threw someone through a window. A window that he was sure came out of his own pocket.

Sam walked over to the other side of the bar and sat down. The spot was known for one of the two owners. One of them always seemed to be sitting there. Sam or his partner who had a worse drinking problem than Sam did. The seat also gave full a view of the bar and the entrance and coupled with his thermal sense Sam didn’t even need to turn his back when a situation arose.

Speaking of which. A ball of snow formed in his hand and he lobbed it at one of the two people who were getting rowdy playing pool. The snowball hit one of the guys in a biker jacket and a group of his friends started to laugh. Sam didn’t turn his back but just raised a hand up letting them know it was a warning. The bikers laughed and raised their drink in response letting Sam know they got a warning.

The icemancer leaned forward over his phone to check his messages and started typing one out to his girlfriend, almost bragging that it was a slow night.

There was a flash of light and the motorcycle vanished. Zek brushed his hands together and readied for his next move.

Zek swaggered into the bar like he was a regular there. He wasn’t, though. Not by a long shot. He’d stopped hanging out in bars after he got his job as a bouncer. He got enough of that kind of atmosphere and at least then he was getting paid. But he wasn’t actually here for fun.

He had a job to do.

Jeff “Polecat” Wiesel had skipped out on bail. He was in trouble for assault, theft, and some vandalism. He was a known biker and word on the street was that he was part of an informal crew of other bikers, who seemed to spend all their time just getting drunk and acting tough. Also, according to Jeff’s MyFace profile, he really loved his mama.

Zek had finally tracked Jeff down to this bar. Jeff was apparently something of a regular actually, which made his patterns too easy to follow. Which was boring, but hey! Easy money, right?

Zek casually trudged over to the bar and took his hands out of his dark brown trenchcoat pockets. It really wasn’t the best season for it, but it was late enough to not seem too unusual. Also, when he’d scoped out the place the night before it had been on the chilly side to him. So trenchcoat it was.

He made his way over to the bar and nonchalantly flashed his ID. “I’ll take a water. On the rocks. And make it a double,” he said with a straight face. He caught the bartender’s slight smirk and roll of his eyes before turning around and leaning back against the bar.

He found his target quickly. Stereotypical biker dude playing pool with his friends. Also seemed to have snow on him. Wait, was it winter already? Zek blinked then frowned. Nah, probably just had some ice. A cool smile appeared on his face. He’d let Polecat play just a little longer and then Zek was going to ruin his night.

Someone came into the bar and someone went. His thermal vision picked on the new entrance and he ignored it. Nothing registered as dangerous meaning he didn’t need to look up from his phone. There was more movement by the pool table but nothing that required another snowball nothing yet at least.

The clock on the wall kept ticking. No other bartender yet. Sam sighed and stood behind the bar refilling his drink his lone eye gazing out over the patrons. Some he recognized some he didn’t. Dude in a trench coat was the newest one. People still wore them? His gaze shifted as his thermal vision registered some movement towards the group around a pool table. A hand off, a bad one at that, the icemancer sighed took a sip of his coffee, burnt coffee watching the tiny package exchange hands. ”Don’t got a lot of rules.” Sam sighed loudly taking another sip ”Morons.”

Flagging down the one bartender Sam notified them to get ready to close the guys playing pool out in the back of the bar. Mug still in hand Sam walked over to the group already irritable because of the burnt coffee. Beer sounded nice right about now. Be a shame to waste his sobriety now.

”Excuse me gentlemen. Seen you guys around here before, got say thanks for supporting the place. Now I’ll only need a minute of your time. Now I know people know it’s a neutral area. However, some things I can’t ignore and two of your guys here just broke a rule.” Sam’s lone eye went towards two of the guys with pool cues in hand. ”Now you two don’t want to ruin it for everyone else right?” Sam asked rhetorically. ”So why don’t you two cash out and take off.”

One hand still in his pocket other on the mug, ”or am I gonna have to put you guys on ice till someone comes and picks you up?” Sam asked seeing the two singled out clearly upset them. Not his problem, though there were rules for a reason. This wasn’t ‘Nam.

Zek blatantly stared at Polecat and his pals as they billiarded. His face was rather blank and without much expression, other than lazy interest. If he’d had a stalk of wheat, he’d’ve been chewing on the end of it.

The clink of glass on wood caught his attention. Zek broke his vigil in order to turn around and pick up his water. “‘Thank ye, thank ye,” he said, raising the glass to the bartender and winking at him. Then he languidly turned back to face the rest of the bar in general and Polecat’s band of stinkers in particular as he sipped his water through the tiny little straw in it.

It was some pretty decent water.

Zek checked his bare wrist. Eh, time was passing slower than he’d expected. Guess watching them play pool really isn’t going to be entertaining at all. They were really bad at it, from what Zek could see. And he could see a lot. Like a laughably horrible handoff of something clearly illegal. Like, Zek understood that nobody else could hide things like he could, but still! He’d seen 6th graders pass notes in class better!

And now a big guy was approaching them. Zek only needed one look at him to learn everything he needed to know. Big, tough, completely unafraid, and with a bearing that said “my way or the highway”. He reminded Zek of a bouncer. But with a freakin’ cool eyepatch.

Suddenly Zek wasn’t so bored. He turned just long enough to snag some pretzels from a bowl on the bar and then slowly started sauntering toward the group at an angle. He didn’t want to be too noticeable, because that might distract the players in the live performance, but he also wanted a good view with a clean line of sight in case he needed to orb Polecat quick and flee.

If it were any other crew he was familiar with they wouldn’t have done anything. Not because they he had such a good relationship with them but because they knew who he was and as long as they followed his rules and didn’t cause any problems or paperwork for him they were fine. The second they got out of line though.

There was a long silence. Sam managed two sips before he caught the first movement. His thermal senses saw someone walk into the bar. The second movement was closer and directed at him. He couldn’t feel the pool cue but he had gotten in enough bar fights to know the range. He was proficient in the bo staff. The cue was shorter. Sam stepped into the swing and pivoted and increased the follow through which sent the pool cue towards two of the guys crew.

The mug was next to break. ‘World’s worst boss’ mug shattered on the guy who just snapped the pool cue of his two friends. They were holding their faces and howling in pain. Sam grabbed the broken pool cue and swept his leg behind his nearest target as he was holding his face which was now covered in burnt coffee and some broken glass. He hit the ground with a loud thud.

”So you guys want to pay for this or do I need to talk to whoever is in charge of your club?” Sam asked pressing the broken pool cue to the chest of the guy on the ground. The rest of the crew didn’t move. ”There isn’t a version of this where you guys win. Do you want to walk out of here or be carried out?” Sam said almost feeling bad he was complaining it was such slow night.

“Aw, for cryin’ out loud!” Zek complained to himself. He’d be very surprised if more than the table closest to him could hear him, or even pay attention to him. The pirate and the bikers had captured everyone’s focus, all right, but while Zek had been expecting a show, he got a teaser trailer at best.

“What a rip off,” he said, drowning his disappointment in stale pretzels and washing it down with decent water. Granted, the Kung Pool fighting was pretty cool, especially when Mr. Eyepatch smashed a mug in a guy’s mug. Haha, that guy has a coffee-face now. Coffee face! He had smiled when that happened. But then, like, nothing happened a;fter that. Zek didn’t even have a chance to finish his pretzels before the scene was over! What kind of a bar fight was that?!

“Grumble grumble grumble,” Zek muttered as he realized the evening was not about to get exciting anytime soon. Might as well grab his target and go. He sat his glass of water on an empty table and popped another pretzel before walking over to the scurvy biker gang as the pirate started telling them why they sucked. Or something like that. It was boring.

The scurvy dogs didn’t really have a chase to do more than hear the pirate’s demands before Zek cut in. “Hey, uh, sorry for the interruption,” he said as he sidled up to the table, placing himself at an angle to both Oculus Prime and the two standing doofuses. “I love the energy, the vibe, and the hardboiled, bad-to-the-bone alpha dog thing you’ve got going on here,” he said, waving his empty hand at everything before eating another pretzel. “But l’ve got places to go and people to see so I’m just gonna get what I came for.”

Zek flicked his eyes over the bikers. Where was… oh, there he was. Polecat was one of the two standing idiots. Zek’s eyes brightened and a beaming smile spread across his face. “Why, hiya Polecat! Say cheese!”

And Zek quickly snapped a ball across the couple feet of space and watched it swallow Polecat up and burp out a flash of light. Zek smiled at the pirate. “Okay, carry on. I’m not here,” he said as he started to turn to leave.

There was some slight movement in a few of the thugs his eye focused on the furthest one out. While he did have thermal vision so sneaking up on him would have been next to impossible he didn’t have projectile vision. Unless they threw a pot of coffee, maybe he should make some that wasn’t burnt. Or at least find someone who can make it that way.

>“Hey, uh, sorry for the interruption,”

Sam sighed and sent a wave of cold further outwards towards the new comer. Big mouth, hopefully this guy wasn’t their leader. Or worse a drunk on looker who always wanted to fight in a bar. What did he want? A photo. Before photos probably. Sam didn’t think much of it but it was enough to distract everyone when the guy called him by his name. Polecat… Sam stifled a chuckle to himself at the name.

What Sam wasn’t ready for was the flash of light and the vaporization of Mr. Polecat. Sam had blinked and missed everything. There was no heat just a light then nothing. This was why having one eye was a disadvantage. Sam snapped his good eye to the newcomer. ”The hell did you just do!?!?” Sam yelled now everyone in the bar watching the show. Sam had seen powers like this. Once that left without a trace. His stomach churned slightly as his adrenaline started into overdrive.

The entire bar now was cold. The amount Sam was exuding was creating was causing frost on all the glasses and windows and light fixtures. Causing the bar to grow slightly darker as he spoke again, ”Tell me you didn’t just kill that guy.”

Great. Now the pirate was yelling at him. Zek rolled his eyes and just kept turning away. He popped another pretzel into his mouth. Still stale, but they were starting to grow on him. Everyone in the bar was now kind of silent, though and turning in his (or possibly more accurately, Mr. Angry Pirate Man’s) direction.

“Uh, I found the man I was looking for?” he said confused. Hadn’t he already covered this? Did the guy need earpatches as well as an eye patch?

Then a chill settled over Zek even as he took his next step. Oh brrr! Feels like a parade is marching over my grave! And then Patches spoke, which was somehow even more dramatic than the yelling. Zek started walking but turned his head all the way around to address the Half-Blind Buccaneer.

“Fine. I totally didn’t just kill that guy,” he said professionally in his best customer service voice. “Happy?” THen Zek noticed his breath. Like, not in a “it stinks” way, but in a “he could literally see it” kind of way. He piped up again, “Oh hey, maybe you should get someone in here to take a look at your air conditioner. I think it’s busted.”

And with his helpful observation out of the way, Zek twisted his head back to normal, pulled his trench coat closed with his free hand, and started making his way toward the door again.

The air continued to drop in temperature as the tension could be cut with a butter knife. Sam’s mood didn’t improve when the new comer in a trench coat told him what he wanted to hear. He wasn’t happy with the situation. Ice slowly started to form around him and on his lower body. The ice slowly reached up and grabbed the thugs closest to him. He didn’t want to deal with more than he had to and right now the guy in the trench coat was his primary focus. No killing at his bar. That was rule one. It was a simple rule and whoever broke the rules would wish it wasn’t one.

”Everyone else out. Now!” he yelled. A beam of cold shot out from his hand directed in front of the guy who just flipped Sam’s stomach with a 180 of a neck turn. Gross. It would at least slow him down so everyone else could get a head start out.

The bartender started quickly moving the closer patrons towards the kitchen and back entrance. He’d have to cash everyone out later. Per protocol they’d call the police on the way out giving out as much information as they could. Also notifying them that Sam was currently involved in a situation.

”Let me rephrase that trench coat. Show me proof you didn’t just kill that guy, before I lose my temper.” hands started to grow from the small wall of ice trying to reach out for trench coat.

For some reason, One-Eyed Wonder was not happy. Or so Zek assumed because all of a sudden everyone was being ordered out of the bar. Well, that worked just fine for him too so--

An ice patch appeared in front of him and Zek froze. Not in the same way as the floor, though, of course. That and the White Christmas aesthetic the bar was rapidly adopting clued Zek in. Patches the Pirate was actually Frosty the Snowman. Well that changed things! Especially because the patch of ice started growing up into a shiny wall of ice. With hands.

He turned his head and then his body to face Mr. Grinch. “Alright Vanilla Ice,” he said with a wide, schmoozing smile. “Watch closely, for the hand is faster than the eye!” Beat. He looked at the guy's one eye. His smile froze. “Oops. Sorry. Is that offensive? MY bad,” he apologized. “Anywho. Voila!”

A red ball formed in his non-pretzel hand and it was flicked a few inches away. Suddenly Polecat was there, facing the Abominable Snowbrute with the same dumb look of “Huh?” he’d had before. There was just a moment for his expression to change before another flash of light took him away.

“Presto!” Zek said, scooping the rest of the pretzels into his mouth and rubbing his hands together to get rid of the salt and crumbs. “We good?” he asked politely, before rudely turning around and pressing a golden orb into one of the reaching hands. Suddenly there was nothing in his way.

He smiled. Zek had never had an ice wall before. Especially one so handy!

If he weren’t used to the quips of someone in trouble he wouldn’t have been a very good teacher. Nothing he hadn’t heard before but it wasn’t helping trench coats situation. A red orb appeared then was replaced with thug with a funny name. He looked like he did before he vanished still dumb. Polecat flashed away again. Sam brought the pool cue up defensively waiting for another flash of light.

There wasn’t one in his direction. The wall of ice was gone in a flash, literally. ”No, care to explain why you’re kidnapping him in my establishment trench coat?” Sam asked blasted another beam of blue towards the door this time.

”Honestly if it happened outside I wouldn’t have cared but…” he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his police badge. ”Glad you didn’t kill anyone though.” he said not moving the pool cue still waiting for a flash of light.

”Police are on their way anyways now, why don’t you stick around.” the air didn’t get any warmer he didn’t have a reason to let it yet.

Zek sighed, spewing pretzel crumbs. Looks like they weren’t good after all. What a bother. He seriously contemplated just making the new growing ice wall go away like the other one, but he suspected Mr. Elsa over there could just keep putting up walls all day long. Zek just didn’t have the balls for them all.

Eh, might as well tell him what’s going on. Zek turned back around again. “So I’m a bounty hunter and this doofus skipped out of his bail so I’m taking him in.” At least that’s what Zek was going to say. Instead, he just spouted some indecipherable words and spat some pretzel pieces before realizing that his mouth was too full and drying out way too quickly from all the pretzels to actually talk.

Fortunately, Mr. Slushie kept talking so Zek had a chance to chew some more. Wait, the dude was police? And the police were on their way? Great! And the ice machine was even inviting him to stay! Zek smiled and only a little bit of pretzel showed. With a big gulp he managed to get the rest down.

”They are?” Zek said, albeit rather dry-mouthedly. “Well that’s wonderful! Saves me a trip down to the station!” Zek pinched the front of his trenchcoat and pulled it out, akin to puffing out his chest. “I can just turn Polecat over to them. I’m a bounty hunter, by the way,” he added.

Then Zek decided he didn’t care to spend the whole wait standing by a rather ice wall, so he started shuffling his way back over to the table he’d left his water at. Stale pretzels really dried the mouth out. “So you a cop?” he asked, making with the small talk even as he approached his glass. “What brings you to this dive?” he said, gesturing all around him.

If it wasn’t clear Sam was annoyed by the situation now from the cold in the air his face said it all. The icemancer frowned as the trench coat sputtered some words with a mouthful of pretzels. ”They are.” he agreed. Apparently the police coming was the point they needed to turn the situation.

”A bounty hunter?” Sam asked lowering his pool cue still on guard waiting to see if there was another flash of light. ”Great.” he had done some hunting before in his day though when he hunted it wasn’t to capture alive.

”I am.” he said, ”I own this dive.” he said glad trench coat didn’t call it a dump. It wasn’t a fancy place but it was his and what he liked when it came to bars. Made it easier to hear people talk instead of a loud upscale bar.

Sam dropped the broken pool cue on the ground. It dropped with a clatter. His torso iced up as he approached the bar leaving the other thugs still encased in a layer of ice. They struggled and the few that had their mouths cleared of ice were trying to talk to Sam offering him anything to get free before the cops showed. ”Might be a few more bounties among the group.”

Walking behind the bar, Sam stilled watched for any sudden movements the air now getting significantly warmer around the two. ”What’s your name trench coat?”

Zek took a loooong sip of water. So it seemed Mr. Snowman owned this place. Zek deliberately kept the water in his mouth and made a huge show of looking all around the joint, twisting his head all over the place, as if he’d never seen any of it before. “Love the decor,” he said after swallowing. There really wasn’t anything worth a spit take.

Zek watched Arctic Chill take up a bartender role and he decided to make his way over. His water was getting low anyways.

Hopping up on a bar stool, he grabbed the bar with his off hand for balance and swung his feet up on the adjacent stool. He smirked briefly as briefly considered completely lying. The name’s Ette. Jacque Ette. But he didn’t think Icy Hot would buy that for a moment. “M’name’s Zek,” he said. “But my friends call me Zek.” Zek knocked back the rest of his water and gently slammed the glass down on the bar.

“So what’s your name, Frostbeard?” he said. “I’m willing to bet fifty cents there’s an excellent story around that eye patch, Mr. Ex-Bounty-Bounter-And-Cop-Bar-Owner.” Also, he was starting to run out of nicknames for Mr. Freeze-pop. “Also, why a….” he paused to blatantly look around the bar again. “...bar?” Could he help it if his voice inflected funny on “bar”? Well, yeah. He could’ve. But he did it on purpose.

Few things passed the time better than needling folks.

Zek, of course it was. Sounded like someone who deserved a punch to mouth so they’d keep it shut. Nothing more than irritated Sam shrugged at Zek’s comments and nicknames. The air around Zek might have gotten colder for a moment till he shut up.

”Sam.” the icemancer said as he walked over and grabbed a coffee mug and walked over to the pot of burnt coffee and poured himself a cup. He preferred the silence given the situation. It made it easier to hear the sirens of police cruisers however if he didn’t start talking he was sure Zek would start back up.

”Taken in Romania during their camps.” he said flatly, even if he wasn’t there Zek should know plenty about it. It was like the mutant camps in America only in Romania. Sam sipped his coffee and left it at that. ”Dive.” Sam corrected. He knew what the bar was truth be told he only kept it because it reminded him of being on the road.

”Bought it on a bender.” he shrugged, ”Reminds me of home.” Sam said sipping his drink. ”You want anything other than… water?” Sam asked hearing some yelling from the pool tables.

”Just because I didn’t read your rights doesn’t mean it won’t be held against you!” he rolled his eye back to Zek. ”Pocket dimensions?” he asked questioning Zek’s powers. Sam was always extremely curious when it came to new mutations. It made it easier if he ever needed to take the person down.