Much of my contact with the hero community as I’ve investigated various leads has been one on one, the solo hero and his crusade. While I see reports in the blotter of teams at work, I’d never experienced it myself.

That is, until I met the women of the B.A.B.E Squad.

I had been contacted earlier in the week by Aeon, and we arranged to meet in Galaxy City under the watchful eyes of Galaxy Girl. Aeon, Green Gale, Jinx, and Serephina arrive on time, Emerald Dawn would join us later, and Xerra and Radiance were, sadly, unable to attend.

Green Gale: NOT LAST! :)
Serephina: You all lost
Green Gale: Only because you cheated last, Jinx!
Jinx: I didn’t cheat!
Green Gale: Superspeed is a cheat.. we can only fly! :)
Jinx: I didn’t superspeed.
Serephina rolls her eyes at Gale
Jinx: A pure figment.
Serephina: Whiner
Green Gale giggles
Calvin Meeks: Hi there ladies.
Serephina smiles politely at the reporter
Aeon: Hi Mr. Meeks!
Green Gale: Hi, Mr. Meeks!
Serephina: Hello Mr. Meeks
Aeon: Let me introduce you to the core of the B.A.B.E. Squad - our usual regulars,
Aeon: We wanted to have a couple more here, hopefully they’ll show up shortly
Calvin Meeks: Alright.
Aeon: We’re still expecting Xerra, Radiance, and Emerald Dawn.
Aeon: I even brought an extra bottle of mustard for her!
Calvin Meeks: Shall we wait a bit for them?
Green Gale: And we’re still expecting the rest of Aeon’s uniform to show up. We’ve been waiting a while for that!
Jinx: Mustard?
Aeon sticks her toung out at Green Gale!
Jinx: Am I missing something?
Green Gale: Emerald sent us an email, saying that she’d be here unless she couldn’t find her mustard
Green Gale sticks her tongue out back at Aeon
Aeon: Its an… er.. what is she anyway? Its an Emerald thing.
Serephina: She does love her mustard, you should see her when they air the Grey poupon commercials
Aeon: Yea… its a little creepy, licking her lips like that.
Green Gale laughs
Serephina: I had to squeegie my tv afterwards
Aeon: So, umm, thanks for agreeing to meet us, Mr. Meeks! Er, do you prefer Mr. Meeks, Calvin Meeks, Mr. Calvin Meeks, er… Calvin?
Green Gale: Well.. at least Snow and Suzie are home doing their homework. No telling what those two would get up to..
Calvin Meeks: Calvin is fine.
Aeon: Okay Calvin! Well, I guess our time is yours.
Green Gale: Yup. As much as I’d like to continue teasing my partner in crime-busting.. there’s things that need doing..
Green Gale: But then again, teasing Aeon NEVER gets boring!
Calvin Meeks: Alright then… lets start with something simple..
Calvin Meeks: In general terms, who are the B.A.B.E. Squad? What do you stand for and all that?
Serephina smiles up at Mr. Meeks.
Aeon laughs
Green Gale grins.
Serephina covers the smile on her face and tries not to laugh
Serephina: Ohh dear … maybe Jinx should answer that one.
Jinx: No… I’ll pass.
Green Gale: Basically.. we have a gift.. and we try to make a difference in people’s life. Sometimes, in big ways.. like when Dr Vahz tried to poison the water supply.. but just as important. Is the little stuff.. you know.. clearing up the streets, purse-snatchers.. just trying to make Paragon City safer.
Serephina: I guess you could say it stands for Babes and Beauties Extraordinaire.. but we actually have many others for it as well
Aeon: Beautiful Angels Battling Evil
Green Gale: Like Beautiful Angels Battling Evil.. the game we sometimes play is to come up with a new meaning for BABE
Serephina: Here we go
Serephina smiles at Aeon
Calvin Meeks smiles
Aeon: We want to see the tide turn in Paragon City. I don’t think we’re special, compared to other larger Supergroups, but we do have our own… style.
Serephina: It’s quite the neverending process too
Calvin Meeks: Alright then.. just for a moment, I’d like to ask something serious…
Calvin Meeks: As Heroic Women, how seriously do you take your role as role model to the young women and girls of Paragon City?
Aeon: Ooh, that is a good question.
Green Gale: Well.. in my case.. I take it very seriously. But we also try to make sure we show that we’re human too.
Serephina: Agreed Gale
Aeon: I think, all joking aside, we really do want to show young women, normal girls, and ones with gifts like Serephina, beauty like Roar, Technology like Gale, or mutations like myself, to show no matter where you come from, you can make a difference.
Green Gale: I mean, everybody looks at some of the superhero groups.. and although they do a lot of good.. it seems like it’s their job.. that they’re Super first, and Heros second. So if we show that you can make a difference, and still have fun.. that we bring a smile to people’s face. And that’s just as important as the crimes we stop
Serephina: It is a large duty, I find myself often running the streets and lending a hand to any that I find and also give encouragement whenever I can.
Calvin Meeks: Is it tough to get respect as a woman in the hero community?
Aeon: Sometimes… I’ve seen a lot of positive support from Paragon’s hero’s, but I’ve also had some unexpected problems. There seems to be some idea that we’re just window decoration in some teams. Having someone make a pass at you is fine when your being social, but not when your blasting zombies.
Green Gale: From some of the more.. well.. closed-minded heroes.. yeah.I had to remind a couple early acquaintances that while I may be a healer.. that because I’m a woman, it means that I have to be protected and kept away from the action. That it doesn’t mean that, I mean. But after a while.. they get used to the fact that not only are we women.. that we can kick just as much butt as they can.
Serephina: Amen Gale.
Serephina nods back at Gale
Serephina: Often looked upon as just a woman, yet when things get out of hand and I lay hands on someone and heal them the respect level goes up considerably.
Calvin Meeks: Speaking of kicking butt… Is there any one group of villainy that the B.A.B.E. Squad is focused on thwarting?
Serephina: I believe we are focused on all faction or groups and at multiple levels as well.
Green Gale: Well.. for me.. I hate the Vahz. Just on different levels.. I had several missions in a row with them.. but not only that, but you should see our drycleaning bill after one of those sewer missions..
Aeon: I don’t think we’ve made any special enemies… yet… althoe the Family and 5th Column have sent us some unhappy messages.
Calvin Meeks: I know about those cleaning bills… I had to actually invest in a second suit!
Green Gale laughs
Aeon laughs, and bites her toung.
Serephina: I’ve got a very bad personal distaste for the Tsoo, they have just recently taken one of our BABEs hostage.
Aeon nods.
Jinx: yeah….
Aeon: They are next up on our hit list.
Green Gale: But the thing is… we are equal opportunity heroes. We may have our own private grudges.. but when it comes down to it.. as my friend Annie used to say. “A perp is a perp”. We’re just as willing to take down anyone
Serephina grins at Gale.
Calvin Meeks: So.. Is the squad currently seeking new members?
Aeon: We are always open to new membership. We are a small guild, in order to keep the family feel, and really know one another, but we are hoping to grow.
Serephina: That we do.. that we do.
Green Gale: Basically.. if you got the attitude.. it doesn’t matter what powers you have.. or how powerful you are… we can use you.
Calvin Meeks: Okay… one last question, then I’d like to snap some pictures and maybe follow you ladies into action.. In what ways is your group helping out the city to recover from the Rikti invasion?
Green Gale: It’s like building a castle, Calvin. The first building blocks that will rebuild Paragon city is hope. Hope is what we provide. Hope of a better tommorrow.
Aeon: Little things count, at least we hope. We all volinteer on the weekends at the recovery shelters, when we arent out on the streets.
Jinx shoots a shocked glance at Aeon.
Jinx mouths the words “we do?”
Calvin Meeks laughs
Aeon coughs. “Some of us do…”
Jinx just nods.
Aeon: I think it also comes back to trying to be a positive role model. If one less girl or boy hooks up with the Skulls from seeing a hero in action, then we’ve done something really special.
Green Gale: Exactly.
Calvin Meeks: Fantastic.
Green Gale: So.. you need to get some shots of the BABEs “in action” so to speak.. corect?
Calvin Meeks: Well, first, if you don’t mind, I’d just like to snap a few pictures here… so if you could gather together… pose if you like… And pardon my camera… no zoom.. I have to run around like a jackrabbit to get the proper picture.
Aeon: No problem
One of the citizens pushes through the group of heroes, barely noticing
Calvin Meeks: Pushy citizens…
Green Gale giggles
Aeon: Oh! Would you like us in team colors?
Calvin Meeks: Sure.
Calvin moves around the women, snapping a few photos
Calvin Meeks: Okay, I think I’ve got what I need.
Aeon gasps at a whisper!
Green Gale *giggles madly*
Green Gale: Great!
Aeon nudges Gale…. hard.
Jinx: I miss something?
Green Gale: Oh.. just a private joke Jinx about Aeon’s uniform :)
Jinx: Mhmm.
Calvin Meeks: As for seeing you ladies in action, anywhere is good for me. Perhaps cleaning up some of the streets in Perez Park might work for “action” shots.
Green Gale: Great!
Aeon: Okay!
Jinx: Sure.
Jinx: Perez is as good as any.
Serephina: Seems the thugs there are always recruiting
Green Gale: Well.. as usual… the rule is simple. Last one to Perez is a rotten egg!!!!
Aeon: You are such a cheat!
Green Gale: Not gonna beat me this time!
Aeon: Cheater cheaty cheat cheat cheater!
Jinx: I’m toast.
Aeon: But your cute toast.
Green Gale giggles
Green Gale: How is it cheating if you know I’m going to do it? :)
Aeon: I thought I’d mend your ways. :)
Green Gale: And I thought you’d mend your uniform.
Serephina: What’s taking you ladies so long? *grins*
Green Gale: *mumble grumbles superspeed*
Jinx: Well… looks like we’ve got the reporter beat.
Calvin Meeks: Oh, I’m in pretty good shape.. but I’m not super by a long shot.

At this point, the ladies hooked me up with a B.A.B.E communicator so I could be in on the combat coordination. We crossed through the gates to Perez Park as the security guards barely gave us notice, at least until they saw me and harrassed me about my security clearance. Thankfully, I’d cleared my level 10 exam earlier in the week.

We blasted into the park and quickly these heroines engaged in combat with a few clockwork. The fight was over before I could get my tape recorder hooked up to the comm unit.

Throughout our romp in the park the heroic banter one comes to expect from a well oiled supergroup flowed from them, lightening the mood and distracting us from the state of Perez Park that no amount of “cleaning” appears to be able to rectify. They worked together, watching each other’s backs. From a distance, almost any battle can seem like violent choreography, but with the B.A.B.E Squad in action, its pure beauty in motion.

When I had run out of film, the ladies turned the interview on the interviewer, and I’d be incomplete not to share.

Green Gale: You can probably tell that we are very free to make jokes at each other’s expense. That comes from the fact that we’ve all saved each other’s butts more then once.
Serephina: Calvin can we ask you a few questions?
Calvin Meeks: Sure.
Aeon: Keep them decent Sere…
Green Gale chuckles
Serephina: Do you find your job risky paying so much attention spotlighting superheroes? I mean it seems, you would be a target almost to some of the factions or groups out there.
Calvin Meeks: Well, it has been rough. As you may have read, my offices were recently trashed by the clockwork.
Aeon: I heard about that!
Green Gale: Hope you sent the bill to the clockwork king. Maybe we can deliver the bill for you in person ;)
Calvin Meeks: In addition, I’ve been taken hostage once, and more than a time or two I’ve gotten some threatening phone calls… And that’s not even counting the ones with the heavy breathing.
Jinx: Heavy Breathing?
Aeon laughs!
Serephina cracks a small grin
Jinx: Gale… what did we tell you about crank calls?
Green Gale: Wasn’t me! My Roomie was in. You know, miss “President of the Mister Danger” fanclub? Ixnay on the ecret identisay ;)
Calvin Meeks: But, I think its worth it. The news in the other Paragon papers tends to always focus on heroes doing good, whereas I hope to be able to shed light on the evil.
Serephina: So do you prefer boxers or briefs? *winks*
Calvin Meeks: Boxer briefs… umm.. when I have clean underwear to wear.
Serephina giggles
Jinx: Alright… that was too much information.
Aeon laughs
Jinx: We didn’t need to know that much about freedom of the press.
Green Gale groans
Aeon groans.
Jinx shakes her hands in victory
Aeon snaps one of Jinx’s straps.
Jinx: Owww…
Calvin Meeks: Well, my washing machine ate them… then attacked the cleaning lady… yeah, that’s what happened.
Green Gale: Gee.. clockwork are everywhere.. huh?

Emerald Dawn showed up just in time to provide a moderate distraction from my grilling. She happily took an offered bottle of mustard and started drinking it, proclaiming that on her planet it was a popular beverage.

It was getting late, and I, umm, remember a pressing engagement I needed to attend to, in another part of town, far away from questions about my personal habits and my lame excuses about.. I mean, the stories of my victimization at the hands of the clockwork. So I bid the ladies farewell.

They are strong. They are powerful. They are beautiful. And they are on our side. A meeting with the B.A.B.E Squad is something else, undeniable and unforgettable.