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Post by DocQuantum on Jul 5, 2018 20:36:40 GMT
*Underworld Unleashed tie-in story.*
The door swung open and slammed against the doorstop. In walked a huge, beefy man in a purple, black, and green costume. He was a tall, muscular man in his early fifties with a dark, closely cropped beard that was greying slightly on his chin. He was bald except for a short halo of hair circling his bald head. A huge H insignia was emblazoned on his broad chest. He wore no cape. This was Charles LeBlanc, the super-hero known as Hyperman, and he had been Canada's greatest unsung hero and secret protector for twenty years now.
"That's it, McKenzie!" LeBlanc shouted at the man sitting behind the desk, who was reading a newspaper.
Grabbing the Toronto Sun out of his hands, LeBlanc held up the headline, which read: HALF-ASSED HERO? It was an editorial questioning why Hyperman is on the government payroll when Canada has very few meta-human incidents compared with the U.S. The headline was accompanied by an unflattering photo of an overweight Hyperman eating fast food taken with a long-range camera outside a Burger Crown.
"I've had enough of the ungrateful public, I've had enough of your bureaucracy, and I've had enough of putting my life on the line for nothing! I quit!"
The door slammed shut as LeBlanc left the office.
McKenzie, a man only a couple of years older than LeBlanc, but looking very craggy and out of shape in comparison, raised one bushy eyebrow and smirked. "You'll be back, LeBlanc," he said under his breath.
Folding up his copy of the Sun, McKenzie placed it onto his desk, then reached for the telephone. "Jessica, patch me through to Control. Thanks." McKenzie scratched his moustache for a few moments as he waited. Finally, he heard a voice on the other end and replied, "Yes, sir. He just left. Uh-huh. Quit again. Yeah, I think so, too. No, no, I think I've got this one handled. Let's wait until a few days into his honeymoon, shall we? OK. 'Bye."
The man placed the telephone receiver back down and picked up the newspaper again. A smile played upon his face as he checked out pictures of the bikini-clad Sunshine Girl on page three. |
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Post by DocQuantum on Jul 5, 2018 20:39:04 GMT
July 1st, 1988:
Canada Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, had been built for Expo '86 two years earlier, during which time the Canadian Pavilion had been host to more than five million visitors in the most memorable event in the city's history to date. The building continued to serve as a convention centre and hotel, remaining as a popular city landmark and tourist destination.
On this one-hundred-and-twenty-first Canada Day, Canada Place would also serve as a meeting place for a very unique group of people.
A few blocks away from the convention centre, Johnny Kirk soared low over Burrard Inlet and slowly came in for a landing, settling down in an alleyway in Gastown. Quickly changing into his civilian clothes, he put his costume in a backpack and joined the crowd of people celebrating the national holiday. As he made a beeline for Canada Place, a little girl stopped him to hand him a small Canadian flag. He thanked her and went on his way, flag in hand.
He loved this city in the summertime. The rest of the year it rained far too much for him, and it hardly snowed at all in the winter, and usually not until January. What was Christmas without snow? Calgary was his home, where the weather -- with its warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters -- was decidedly more Canadian, but Vancouver was a nice place to visit.
As he entered the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel at Canada Place, he looked around for a familiar face, but he couldn't recognize anyone in the crowd. Everyone else would be traveling incognito as well, he figured. No sense drawing attention to themselves.
Johnny went to the front desk and handed the clerk his invitation letter. The clerk then escorted him to the elevator, and they rode up several floors. The clerk then led Johnny to a beautiful, brightly lit meeting room with food and a bar, staffed by waiters and a bartender. It was all very impressive. But then nothing was too good for Canada's finest, especially when the government was so eager for them to finally all meet in one place.
The clerk left the room, but not before assuring him that he and his companions would have the utmost amount of privacy; the staff would serve them and then leave before the discussion really began.
Johnny was the first one to arrive, and he was glad for that. He realized that he was taking a chance showing up out of costume, but then he didn't wear a mask while in costume -- only goggles -- so he decided the risk wasn't serious. Still, he hadn't wanted to change back into his costume until he was sure everything was on the up and up. It seemed to be, so Johnny Kirk stepped out of the room, found a bathroom, and changed into the costume he wore as Skyman. It consisted of a long-sleeved, sky blue flight jacket with white gloves and boots, jodhpur-styled tan pants, and goggles. The look was loosely inspired by aviators of the 1930s with some superheroic modifications.
The one thing people always seemed to ask him about his costume -- and for some reason Americans wondered about this more than Canadians -- was why he wore no red; how could he be a Canadian super-hero without wearing red like the maple leaf on the flag? His response was always the same. Why doesn't Batman wear red, white, and blue? Is he any less patriotic for not wearing a flag-based uniform? And besides, as Skyman he had never thought of himself as a national symbol or as Canada's answer to Captain America. If that's what he had wanted to be, Johnny Kirk would've called himself Johnny Canuck.
The only man close to being that national symbol was Hyperman, and as far as he knew, no one bothered Charles LeBlanc with those kinds of questions -- no one dared to on the rare occasions when Hyperman actually appeared in public. LeBlanc, who had given up all pretense of a secret identity years ago, had never been interested in publicity.
Skyman was a bit more approachable, somehow. Thanks to being a younger super-hero with a known connection to the world's greatest hero, Superman, he'd to deal with questions about his lack of a Canada-themed costume all the time.
Walking up to the bar, Johnny grabbed a bottle of cola, then sat back and waited, somewhat nervously, for the others to arrive. At least he had a nice view of the inlet and Stanley Park from here.
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Post by DocQuantum on Jul 5, 2018 20:42:29 GMT
On the street outside, a strangely dressed, scrawny man strode through the crowd, drawing amused glances and stares as he passed by, though he took these as marks of respect for his patriotism. The attention wasn't just because he was wearing a red and white Canadian flag as a cape, but because he had also donned a brightly coloured red replica RCMP special red serge jacket -- the kind modern Mounties now only wore during parades and other special events. This jacket had been altered to remove any marks to signify that it was an official police uniform; it was, after all, illegal to impersonate an officer of the law. No one on the street could mistake the man for an actual Mountie, since along with the flag cape he also wore white gloves, white pants, red boots, and a tan cloth belt with several large pockets he called his utility belt, and he wore a white cowl over his head with a red maple leaf across his forehead.
The man was also muttering to himself as he walked, sounding much like a radio announcer.
"And thus it was that the Red Serge, feared nemesis of crime and champion of the downtrodden, said farewell to his base of operations in fair Regina, the Queen City of Saskatchewan, and made his way to Vancouver, Terminal City of British Columbia.
"No, no," he continued, suddenly thrusting out one hand before him and startling two kids that passed him, "the Red Serge appreciates your cheers and adulation, but he cannot stop for autographs! For the sands of time are constantly flowing, and even this champion of good falls is subject to the whims of old Kronos!"
The two kids looked at each other and shrugged in confusion; they saw no one lining up for autographs.
Striding up to the front doors of the Pan Pacific Hotel, the man bowed slightly toward one of the bellhops and said, "The Red Serge is present and accounted for, my good man! Lead you the way to the gathering of champions, and I shall follow!"
"Uh, excuse me, sir?" said the confused bellhop. "Are you a performer, or...?"
The man slapped one white-gloved hand on the bellhop's back and said, "A jest! You slay me, sir! But of course it is none other than I, the Red Serge, also known as Monty of the Mounties, who makes his home amongst the gently blowing wheat fields of Saskatchewan!"
The bellhop shrugged, not knowing whether a terrible prank was being pulled on him, or whether the man was serious, in which case he was obviously senile.
After an awkward pause, Monty merely nodded his head and smiled. "Hmmph," he muttered to himself. "They'll simply let anyone wear a uniform these days."
At the front desk, Monty quickly located the bell and rang for service, nodding at the people who passed by gaping at him. After a few moments, he hit the bell again, and then repeatedly in a row, not noticing that a clerk was already trying to speak to him over the noise.
"Can I help you, sir?" said a bewildered-looking female clerk.
"Why, yes, you may! As you can see, I'm here for the hero meeting!" Reaching behind his back, he pulled out a large bottle from his utility belt. "And like any good guest, I've brought wine -- Regina's finest red!"
"I'm sorry, sir, but our private suites are for guests only, and besides, that's a bottle of grape juice you're holding."
Monty looked bewildered as he held up the plastic two-litre bottle and gaped as read the label. "Why, so it is!" he said, and tossed it over his shoulder to land on the floor, where its cap split, and purplish fizz began spewing out onto the carpet. "Now if you'll simply point the way to the meeting room, I'll be on my way."
The clerk was taken aback, but she was determined to keep her composure. "Sir, if you'll just give me your invitation letter, I'll be more than happy to bring you in myself."
"Invitation letter?" said Monty, confused for a moment. "Oh, yes, that's right. Invitation letter." He began to turn, while scrimmaging through his belt pockets. "I'm sure I've got it somewhere, I... Aha! Here it is!" He pulled out a crumpled piece of note paper and handed it to her.
The clerk, looking dubious, unfolded the note paper and looked at it. "Sir, this appears to be a grocery list."
"What? Oh, no, no -- turn it over. Look at the other side."
She did so and saw a short note written in hastily scrawled block lettering. It read, "Dear The Red Serge, alias Monty of the Mounties: You are hear bye invited to the first hero meeting of Canada to be held on Canada Day at Canada Place. Be there or be square. Your friend and admirer, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney."
"Sir, this isn't a real invitation letter."
"Of course it is!" insisted Monty. "It's got my name, has it not? Just read it. The Red Serge, alias Monty of the Mounties -- that's me!"
"I understand that, sir, but this letter was handwritten on a piece of lined binder paper. And there are spelling mistakes throughout."
Monty looked at her blankly for a moment before replying angrily, "Well, what do you expect? I had the invitation in my other coat, and it wasn't until I was ten klicks past Moose Jaw that I realized it. You can imagine how the Red Serge must have felt with this metaphorical egg on his face!" He laughed heroically. "Thankfully, old Monty has a photographic memory, you see, and I simply made an exact replica of it from some nearby materials at hand. It's as good as the real thing, I can readily assure you."
"I'm afraid it's not, sir."
"What?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'll have to ask you to leave," said the clerk, signaling someone for assistance.
"But don't you know who I am? You see before you the greatest hero of the Prairies -- none other than the Red Ser--"
At that moment, Monty felt two sets of strong hands on his shoulders, and he was promptly ushered outside, where he stumbled and nearly lost his footing.
"Oh, so you're playing that game, are you?" said Monty. "Well, the Red Serge can be stubborn as a bull, too -- they don't call me the 'Prairie Oyster' for nothing! I'll find my way into that meeting if it's the last thing I do!"
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Post by DocQuantum on Jul 5, 2018 20:44:26 GMT
The meeting room was soon full, and Skyman began greeting the other assembled heroes. Although the staff was still there serving food, the conversation had quickly veered into shop talk. But each one present made sure not to divulge any hard-won secrets while the civilians were around.
Skyman was impressed by the others when he saw them in person, and even a bit intimidated.
Centrix was one of Vancouver's heroes, a tall, blond man with a red and white costume that made him resemble Captain America, if he was a Canadian. His identity was known to Johnny and others present as Mark Armstrong, owner of a popular New Age bookstore in the small town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. Prior to that, Mark had been a high-powered advertising executive in Toronto before deciding to ditch it all and become a super-hero back home. Out of everyone in the room, Centrix seemed the most capable of becoming a big-time super-hero based on charisma alone.
Sparx, the other Vancouver-based hero, looked young enough to still be in high school, or at least a recent graduate. Donna Carol "D.C." Force was a member of the famous Force Family, a family of meta-humans mostly known as adventurers and explorers based out of their extravagant ranch outside Timberton, B.C. Despite the Force Family having been around for decades, Sparx was the only one with any kind of costumed identity, since the family had always famously eschewed anything to do with super-heroics. Johnny thought of D.C. as a little sister, though he suspected she had a bit of a harmless crush on him.
Johnny's old friend and sometime partner Nova sat by himself making notes on a daytimer. Skyman had worked with Professor Michel Lavoie in Montreal over one summer several years ago and still kept in touch. Nova was one of the more recent members of the unofficial organization called the Batmen of All Nations, and he'd been welcomed at the Club of Heroes in Metropolis a few times over the years. These international heroes had largely taken a backseat to the Global Guardians, but most were still semi-active in their own countries.
The purple-costumed Black Orchid sat alone watching the others. Johnny knew very little about the flowery woman except that she usually operated throughout the United States with powers that had people guessing about her true origins for several years now. She told him that she had never really worked with a team before, except for a brief alliance a few years ago with a group of Gotham City crime-fighters called the Secret Six, when it was led by Batwoman. To Johnny's surprise, the Black Orchid had been a Canadian living abroad for all these years, and no one knew it. Her reasons for joining this team now she kept to herself.
Finally, the mysterious Frostbite sat regally on his chair as if it was a throne as he flirted with a waitress. The well-built, blue-skinned snow elf was undeniably attractive and preferred to wear no costume at all, except for black shorts and gloves. Only the rules of modesty had forced him to concede to wearing a white high-collared fur cloak while in meetings like this one, though he never deigned to wear it while in battle.
The elephant in the room, of course, was the noticeable absence of Canada's first and greatest hero. Hyperman was nowhere to be found, and the meeting time had already come and gone. Finally, the small group of heroes decided that it would be all right to start eating, and Johnny asked the waiters to leave some food and drink behind in case Hyperman did eventually show up.
Finally, the heroes were left to themselves. As they started to have dinner, it was time to make introductions. In the absence of Hyperman, Skyman decided to act as host.
Standing up, he cleared his throat and said, "Hey, everyone. I'm Skyman. You all know me. And I'm sure you all know each other by now. But in the interests of time, I'd like start the meeting. I'm, uh, not really sure what Hyperman had in mind, but I think it would be a good idea to go around the room and introduce ourselves. Tell us how you got started, and maybe tell us about your most significant case. I'll start, if no one objects. And could someone take notes or something? I know Hyperman would want to be here for this, and--"
"Recording," said Nova, clunking a microcassette recorder onto the table.
"Thanks, Nova. I guess that's even better than notes. Anyway, I'll get started.
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Post by johnreiter902 on Jul 6, 2018 14:45:14 GMT
This is a great beginning. I'm glad to see this story taking off. I hope the Red Serge gets in in the end, he seems a lovable clown. Is this the first meeting of Northwatch?
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Post by DocQuantum on Jul 8, 2018 20:44:04 GMT
Thanks! I wrote most of this a while ago but never posted until now. Since it takes place at the same time, I figured I’d kill two birds by making it an Underworld Unleashed tie-in. Originally this was meant to be strictly a riff on All-Star Comics #3, with everyone telling self-contained stories to each other involving their origins, but I think instead I’ll save the origins for a series of Secret Origins specials. The Skyman origin is pretty interesting, if I do say so myself. I’ve even come up with a cool origin for Black Orchid that has never been seen before.
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Post by starskyhutch76 on Jul 13, 2018 23:27:35 GMT
I'm sorry for not commenting sooner. It's great to see your Canadian team forming. I like the Red Serge. He reminds me of a Canadian Beefeater.
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Post by DocQuantum on Jul 14, 2018 0:03:34 GMT
Thanks. I think you once suggested the "Red Serge" name, so I went with it. Hopefully he'll be a bit more polite than the Beefeater.  |
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Post by johnreiter902 on Aug 8, 2018 15:02:02 GMT
I remember you said that Lady Lunar night be a member of Northwatch. Is that off the table, or do you plan on having her join later?
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Post by DocQuantum on Aug 8, 2018 18:38:19 GMT
She will appear, though probably as an ally and friend of Johnny Kirk.
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 9, 2018 17:14:34 GMT
Frostbite sounds intriguing. I'd like to think of him as a Namor-type with an arrogance that might just be justified.
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Post by DocQuantum on Aug 9, 2018 19:54:58 GMT
Thanks. I was patterning him after Namor.
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