Chapter 1: “How It All Began!” introducing Lightning Strike!After much investigation, Lightning Strike discovers that one person benefited more than any other by the failure of the Infinity Generator project: Silas Hamilton Caine, the richest and some say the most evil man in New York City! (Imagine Lex Luthor, Henry Potter, Gordon Gekko, Bruce Wayne and William Randolph Hearst all wrapped up into one rotten s.o.b.) Caine owns several technological concerns that would have been devastated by such an innovation being brought to market. Lightning Strike begins investigation of Caine, but any investigation into a man of such wealth and power will be a long term project, and one requiring extreme caution!
Meanwhile, Strike gets word that Mr. Grey, a government agent who was a liaison and friend of the old Freedom Force, is looking for him. Grey gets a letter forwarded to Strike. It states that he would like to meet to discuss a mutually beneficial relationship. Grey asks that they meet atop the Empire State Building at midnight tonight!!
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Lightning Strike:
Silas Caine!! His tentacles spread to every corner of the globe. But what can one man do against his corporation? The answer is nothing, but a group of men, men who have been wronged by him, could inflict serious damage and bring down his empire. I can't be the only one who has had discoveries sabotaged or stolen. Perhaps if a band of scientist like myself can be brought together to bring him down by turning his tactics against him. This Mr. Grey might be a valuable source of information that can lead me to others.I intend to meet this Mr. Grey and see what his story is and if he can be a help to me.
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Chapter 2: “Prelude to Adventure!” introducing The Sentinel!
The New Sentinel has enjoyed some modest successes so far. But now, his grandfather has asked to meet him at the Odyssey Club, housed within a stately Fifth Avenue brownstone. The original Sentinel, Dr. Lancaster Gerard, is 75 but still full of life and strength (Imagine a cross between Doc Savage, Sean Connery, and Max Von Sydow). His eyes were so blue they were almost white, like the thick shock of hair atop his head.When the two were seated before the fireplace in a private study that smelt of old books, pipe tobacco and nostalgia, the old man smiled mildly and said, “Son, something’s come up.
“Mr. Grey, a government agent who was a liaison and friend of the old Freedom Force, wants to meet with you. I trust Grey, he’s a good man. He asks that you meet him tonight at midnight atop the Empire State Building.
Do you think you’re ready, Kirk?”
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Sentinel:
Kirk walks over to the bar, gets two shot glasses, and pours a couple of shots of Lancaster's favorite whiskey. He turns, brings them over to Lancaster, looks him straight in his deep blue eyes, nods his head, and says "To the legacy of the Sentinel," in a deep and confident voice, and downs his shot."Gramps, we both know the answer to that question," he says with a smile and warmness reserved only for him, "I've been ready for a long-time, even before the costume. But I thought we both thought it best to keep a low profile for some time at first; it hasn't been that long yet. Do you really feel that this is something that warrants moving up those plans and coming into the spotlight this early?"
"I believe it is, son," said Lancaster Gerard with a calm surety.
"And I'm concerned about this government man... this Grey. Do you know first-hand that's he's a good man. How well do you know him and how far do you trust him? I know you don't want to dwell on mistakes of the past, but I haven't forgotten how most of them turned on you back then... men you trusted, men you saved on numerous occasions. But they didn't stand by you or any of the others when the witch hunt began! Is this Grey one of the "yes-men" that blows in the breeze or is he true to the "ideal"?
Lancaster chuckled, but not unkindly. "Son, we both know the answer to that question as well. Would I jeopardize everything that we've worked on for a craven bureaucrat? No son, I've learned that lesson all too well.Grey is the real deal. He's no Miles Hudson. Grey was instrumental in the hero resurgence of the 1980's. And then he was betrayed by government men, not unlike my own experiences. But now he's back and in a position to bring about another era of heroic ideals.
"Our time is upon us, son." Lancaster said. Then he raised his whiskey and said solemnly, "To the legacy of the Sentinel."
Lancaster drained the glass and then smashed it in the fireplace. Then again, more quietly..."To the legacy of the Sentinel."
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Chapter 3: “The Call Goes Out!” introducing Viper!
After Jake Dare single-handedly routed the gang of crooks that tried to take over his circus, (in his circus costume no less!) some cops came around asking a lot of funny questions. Jake laid low and things blew over. In fact, he had forgotten all about it until he got a letter in the mail.
“Mr. Dare,
An opportunity exists for men of your unusual capabilities and character. I would like to meet with you to discuss a mutually beneficial relationship.
Enclosed please find plane tickets and hotel reservations for New York City. I look forward to meeting you.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Grey”
There was no letterhead or return address.The tickets and reservations were real enough. They were for this weekend.
“What’s inna package, Jake?” asked Monga the bearded lady. She must have stuck her hairy head into Jake’s dirty trailer while he was wondering what to make of the mysterious offer.
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Viper:
Jake returns the letter and it's contents to its envelope before turning to Monga and smiling."Jealous, Sexy? You know you're the only bearded lady for me."Leaving the letter and its contents behind him, Jake heads outside grabbing Monga by the arm. Walking only a short distance from his trailer, Jake stops and looks at Monga.
"Now, if you didn't have so many admirers, I'd be tempted to settle down with you. But you're not a one-man woman, are you? (before she speaks) No. No more sweet talk from you, sexy. You're just teasing me. Go on. Go to that Strongman of yours. I know you like him better than me!"Jake smiles after Monga as she walks away. They've been having this flirt since the first day he met her. From a distance she was a novelty, but close up.... "Not much to look at", Jake thought. But everyone here in the employ of the Circus had their own demons to deal with. Sometimes Jake wished that his were only some unwanted facial hair.
"Why wouldn't I want 'an opportunity'? Would be nice to see the Big city too."Jake looked around the Circus living compound and chuckled to himself.
"Well, couldn't be any worse than this. 'Unusual Capabilities and character' don't really describe me. Obviously they don't know about my girlfriend Monga!" Jake headed back to his trailer to begin sorting through his belongings and formulate an excuse to tell the showmaster why he was leaving on such short notice. They'd probably dock him his pay for his last 2 shows but screw it. There's a bigger ring to perform in and it's in NYC!
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A long black limo met Dare at the airport and took him to the fabulous New York Hilton. There he found posh accommodations and a note:
"Mr. Dare,Thank you for coming this far.
I will meet you at midnight tonight, atop the Empire State Building, to discuss an opportunity.
Come dressed- your clothes are already in your closet. Looking forward to meeting you.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Grey"
Dare looked in the closet and was puzzled to find it empty except for a green costume similar to his circus get-up, but sleeker! It looked like the kind of thing that superheroes wore to protect their identities from their enemies.There was champagne cooling on ice.
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Jake gazed about the room, his eyes finally resting on the champagne. "Crap. All this way and all I get is lousy carbonated wine."
Taking the costume from the closet, Jake moves over to the bed and lays back. He holds the costume by it's shoulders with outstretched arms. "This must be some kinda Circus I'm auditioning for."
Jake's chuckle at his own joke trails off..."How the hell am I gonna get into the Empire State Building in this get-up. At midnight even! This is ridiculous."
Jake thinks back to the first letter offering him the trip to NYC and his subsequent last meeting with the Circus's showmaster.
"Karl, you've seen the last of Jake Dare! There's someone in NY that'll appreciate a guy of my *he stumbles over the words in the letter* 'Unusual Capabilities!' So you can take your offer and shove it!"
Back to the present...."What an idiot I am. Here I am, pissed at Karl for making me dress in that outfit for him. So I come to NY for my 'opportunity' and what's the first thing they ask me to do? Dress up like a clown for their circus!"
Jake grabs the champagne and begins chugging it down, right out of the bottle. Finished, he drops it into the bucket and stares at the costume.
"Well I suppose a person of my 'unusual capabilities' would expect a visit to a NYC jail."
Jake begrudgingly puts the costume on and looks at himself in the mirror. Liking what he sees, he looks through his things and finds his long overcoat. He covers himself up and decides he'll put the mask on when he gets closer to the building. Jake leaves the hotel early and takes a slow walk to the Empire State Building.
"Well, Grey. Your Snakeman, Viper, is on his way!"
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Chapter 4: “Man Without a Past!” introducing The Blue Comet!
The Comet has received some plastic surgery, and he’s not sure when that happened. Must have been reconstructive… from the accident. A pretty good job, too. Comet examined his jaw line in the public restroom of some train station. He was wearing regular street clothes. Under them was that strange blue costume. He looked at his face for a long time.
The Comet went outside and looked up. It was a summer afternoon and he was in New York City. Okay. He went to the New York Public Library and did some work. He felt oddly at home between the stacks. He looked through the few surviving pages of the burned notebook he managed to pull out of the fire with that other guy. A strange word, “Blazon,” kept coming up. He Googled it and got that Blazon was a great superhero who was a founding member of the legendary Freedom Force. Retired now, like many of the old ones. The photo of his face looked scary familiar to Comet. He knew this guy! In fact, it was the guy he pulled out of the burning lab!
Another photo showed Blazon next to four other heroes. They were the original Freedom Five: The Human Dynamo, Blazon, Storm Giant, Frostfire and Tornado Man!
The Blue Comet’s heart was racing. He looked just like Tornado Man, whoever the hell he was.
After the shock subsided, Comet checked his pocket for a pen to write all this down in his burned notebook, and found a hotel key. Then he rifled the rest of his pockets and came up with nothing, not even a wallet.
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Blue Comet:
The hotel could wait. He became obsessed now with Tornado Man. Who was he? What happened to him? He spends the day feverishly researching newspaper articles, court documents and public records for answers. Hunched over the old microfiche, he finds the names of the various tabloids and reporters to be very familiar, like he knew this world well. Some names he feels warmly towards, others he gets heated over for reasons he can’t recall. At any rate, he’s amazed that he can navigate the research without even having to think twice about it. Every resource seems second nature. However, when he does get finished, he’s not happy with what he finds.
After spending the better part of the afternoon, he pieces together the official story of Tornado Man’s downfall. While the story isn’t pleasant, something about its telling doesn’t sit well. Maybe some part of his old self is coming through, but the official accounts seem to be missing something. Yet, as real as it all feels, on another level it seems so surreal. So much of it is familiar and yet he remembers none of it. One minute he feels angry and emotional reading about Tornado Man and the next he feels totally disassociated. He might as well be reading a comic book. He is sure of two things. First, if he was Tornado Man at one time, he’s no longer than man today. The Comet finds within him a sense of determination, a determination to prove everyone wrong about him. Second, he’s not too keen on this Dynamo character. He seemed a little too pleased when Tornado Man was disgraced. He’s a little pleased that he’s gone.
Hours had passed among the stacks and it was getting late. He was famished and his fast metabolism wasn’t helping. Comet walked out of the NYC Public library and made his way down the long steps, lost in the thoughts of all he’s learned. The glint of a passing zeppelin in the late afternoon sun draws his eyes skyward. It was then that his thought muddled gaze rested on the spire of the Empire State Building a few blocks away. Sure the building was familiar, but there was something more to the memory. Something started there that has to be finished… no… not finished… but put right.Comet draws the key from his pocket and reads the hotel name; time for the next piece of the puzzle.
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The Blue Comet went to his hotel room, turned the key and entered. He was struck again with deja vu! He had been in this room, but when?!! The Comet looked around and found a note pad next to the phone. On the pad were the words:
"Top of Empire State Building
June 15th (which was today's date)
Midnight
Brian Grey"
The words were in Blue Comet's handwriting!
