“TROUBLE IN TRIPLICATE!”
Part V: Cornered in California!
♪Theme Music: “Time” by the Alan Parsons Project♪
The Champions C-Craft made its way back from Canada, where the Champions fought Alpha Flight. Within the craft, which is piloted by Angel, are the Black Widow, the Winter Soldier, Iceman, Darkstar, Black Goliath, and their guests: Dazzler, Wonder Man, and the Beast.
“A Canadian government-sponsored team,” the Angel remarks. “I don’t like it. I wouldn’t have the government fund this team. Anything they have their hands on, they can destroy.”
“We’ve seen that plenty,” Iceman adds. “Especially with the Sentinels. I’ve never trusted government. The bigger it is, the worse it gets.”
“The world has changed so much since the 1940s,” Winter Soldier responds. Black Widow, seated next to him, looks over sympathetically. She realizes that acclimation to this time period has been difficult, even though he’s technically been around for some of it. “It was more common for government to be involved with heroes and teams back in that time. The Invaders had a lot of involvement with the government, although Whizzer never liked that.”
“Whizzer is a wise man,” the Angel comments. “I met another of your former teammates, Red Raven.”*
[*They fought in X-Men #44]
“His was an interesting story,” Winter Soldier muses, “but he fought as fiercely as anyone I’ve ever met. When I was in the Liberty Legion, we fought the Skyshark together, along with someone who turned out to be a time-misplaced Ben Grimm.** I’d met Ben during the war—he was a pilot in the war***—but never would have figured him to become a rocky monster. Or that Major Richards of the OSS**** would become Mr. Fantastic, for that matter.”
[**Marvel Two-in-One Annual #1.]
[***As shown in Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders #7.]
[****Yes, the very same Reed Richards, who is a founding member of the FF, was in the OSS during the war in 1960s and 1970s continuity, as revealed in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes #3.]
“My father was…” Wonder Man starts to say, but looks with concern at his good friend, the Beast, who was holding his head in his hands and having trouble remaining seated in his chair. “Hank!” he exclaims with concern, reaching out for the blue-furred Avenger. “Are you all right?”
“I’m not sure,” Hank replies. His voice is weak and his eyes look glassy. He unfastens his seat belt. “Feeling woozy…having trouble breathing…feeling kind of sick…”
“We’ll be landing in about fifteen minutes, Hank,” Angel says from the pilot’s seat. “Can you hold out that long? We’ve got a medical facility on-site, but if you need me to take you to the hospital…”
“Hank!” Wonder Man exclaims. Black Widow and Winter Soldier look over to where Wonder Man sits, only to see an empty seat where Beast was a moment earlier. “HANK!”
“What happened to the Beast?” Black Widow asks, looking around for any signs of him.
“I don’t know!” Wonder Man exclaims. “He just…vanished!”
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “Taking Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive♪
Hercules, Ghost Rider, and Cobalt Man walk into the Champions conference room, where they see a very concerned Angel, Iceman, Darkstar (who is gently caressing Iceman’s hand), Winter Soldier, Black Widow, Dazzler, and Wonder Man seated around the conference table, which is made of fine varnished oak, and has a large “C” emblazoned on its surface.
“What troubles thee, Angel?” Hercules asks, noting the looks of concern on the faces of his teammates.
“Yeah,” Johnny Blaze adds. “We got the message that…”
“Is that Cobalt Man?!” Iceman exclaims, rising from his chair. “What’s he doing here?”
“Look,” Cobalt Man says, “I’m not here to start any trouble, and I’ll be happy to leave…”
“What is the meaning of this?” Hercules demands. “Cobalt Man helped us defeat villains who attacked this city. It was a personal welcome from the prince of power that brought him here.”
“It’s all right, Bobby,” Angel responds. “It’s true that we fought him once, but I never got the impression Cobalt Man was a master villain or anything. We should give him a chance, if he’s willing to help.”
“He is,” Johnny Blaze chimes in, “and I think he’s already proven that earlier. Hercules is right: he came here because we asked him to.”
The Angel ends any further discussion by directing the new arrivals to sit down. “We can sort all of that out later,” he explains. “We need to catch you up to date on what we are dealing with.”
As the Angel talks, a white screen rolls down from the ceiling behind him. It lights up quickly, revealing the faces of Cyclops, Phoenix, and the Beast, each in a separate head-shot photo. He looks over to Black Widow, who nods, as she gets to her feet.
“We’ve learned that Cyclops and Phoenix were recently abducted,” Black Widow explains. “And, on the way back here from Canada, the Beast simply disappeared from his seat on our Champscraft.”
“Disappeared?” Cobalt Man asks. “But how? He can’t teleport…can he?”
“No,” the Angel responds simply. “He doesn’t have that power.”
“We’re still trying to piece together the details,” the Black Widow continues, “but it seems that someone is targeting the X-Men.”
“Has anyone contacted the X-Men to see if there have been other disappearances?” Johnny asks.
“I’ve tried,” the Angel responds, “but I’m not getting anywhere with it. I haven’t been able to reach the professor, and his team seems to be out of the country at the moment. Not sure what they’re doing, but that’s not uncommon. I have no way to know if there have been other disappearances.”
“Well,” Cobalt Man comments, “I know there is a new group of X-Men today, but from what I’m seeing, it seems that the original team is the target.”
Iceman and Angel exchange glances. “That might be,” Iceman admits, “based on what little we do know.”
“He’s right,” Johnny Blaze remarks. “If it is the original team that they’re going after, we can expect two things: it’s likely to be an old villain of yours, and you’re probably next.”
“I’ve thought about that myself,” the Angel comments. “I’ve got Richard putting together a team of expert private investigators to gather information, and I have Emerson Bale looking at the legal aspects of this case.”
“If some vile fiend is capturing thy friends, Warren,” Hercules says with certainty, “we will find them and stop them.” He places his hand on Cobalt Man’s shoulder. “And I am certain that Cobalt Man will assist us as well.”
Cobalt Man was caught off-guard by Hercules’ decision to draft him into the rescue mission—or whatever it turns out to be, but he feels compelled to help now. He probably would have offered himself, he assures himself, but it doesn’t matter now. “Uh, sure,” he offers. He hasn’t forgotten how they greeted him when he came into the room, but he can’t blame them.
“You do realize,” Bobby comments, looking over to his friend, even as Darkstar looks on with concern, “that if your theory is right about the original X-Men being targeted…”
“We’re the only two left?” Angel asks, finishing his long-time teammate’s statement. “Yeah, I know.”
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson♪
Meanwhile, across town, Ares sits in a whirlpool within the penthouse suite at the most elegant hotel in Los Angeles. His index finger swirls in the hot water, while Satana slowly makes her way towards him. She drops her bright red robe on the tile at the top of the hot tub, revealing her sultry body. She sighs with delight as her foot touches the hot water. She leans her head back seductively, as he legs become submerged in the water.
“I love the heat,” she says, as she sits down beside her lover, Ares. He takes in the beautiful villainess with his eyes.
“Thy body generates plenty of heat,” Ares returns, leaning forward and kissing her. He then slides back against the wall again, placing his arm around her shoulder, his fingers dangling down to her chest.
“When I was starting to get into the hot tub,” Satana asks, enjoying the sensation of the hot tub and Ares’ attention, “I noticed an image in the water?”
“Ah yes,” Ares sneers. “A project of mine.” He gestures with his index finger once again in the calming water, his finger moving slightly through the water. An image of a mansion appears and figures in the shadows there.
“Our group of cutthroats are getting restless,” she says, her hand resting on Ares’ thigh, gently caressing it. “It’s difficult to keep them contained. They’ve been on minor jobs here and there, but the leash is being stretched very thin.”
“I know, my love,” Ares responds with a nod. “They will not have much longer to wait. All is almost in readiness. Yet, a new opportunity arose that I could not avoid using to our advantage.”
“Pray tell,” Satana asks, moving her hand under the water. Ares lets out a sigh.
“’Twould seem that former allies of the Angel (Satana reviles at the name) and Iceman hath disappeared,” Ares explains. Satana arches her eyebrow with a curious look. “Although ‘tis not our doing, the disappearance of some of their friends—the most recent being a short time ago—it is something that we can benefit from.”
“I love the way your mind works,” Satana says while Ares lowers his arm around to her waist.
“There is some animus that already exists,” Ares explains, the image of the mansion starting to fade, and the shadowy images with it. “It will take but little encouragement on my part to turn that into a raging inferno. An inferno that will explode against our enemies.”
“You have intentions, then,” Satana asks, a wicked smile on her darkly beautiful face, “of sending that team against the Champions?”
“I must admit that I cannot resist the temptation,” Ares returns, “of creating a war out of that spark, and watching it develop.”
“But our group is ready to fight them,” Satana counters.
“That is the beauty of my plan,” Ares explains. “After the Champions hath fought the others, who are already in transit to them, they will be in perfect position for our warriors to finish them.”
“You expect this group of misfits to be a serious challenge to the Champions?” Satana asks, her eyebrow rising with interest, as she slides against Ares’s body, letting his arm wrap around her. She rests her head against his chest and looks up at him.
“Nay,” Ares responds. “But that is not the point. The point is the conflict itself. If it serves to weaken our foes, e’en the slightest bit, it hath served its purpose…and so have this group of ‘misfits’ as thou didst rightly call them. Regardless, they are but pawns to be used by such as ourselves. When their usefulness is ended, so too shall be their lives.”
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “The Boys are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy♪
“I’m a genius! A financial wizard!”
The Angel and his fellow Champions turn their heads, where they see a familiar figure, wearing a plaid suit with patches on the elbows, walking into the room. He is carrying a briefcase and has a folded-up copy of the stock section of the Los Angeles Times in his left hand.
“Richard?” Angel asks, incredulous about Richard Fenster’s sudden entrance into the room. “What are you…?”
“Stocks of Champions Inc. have risen 20%,” Fenster continues. “I admit that I was concerned at first, given the recent run-in with the Avengers, and some of the destruction caused to the city in some of your battles, but public opinion of the government is low currently, so it actually led to some wide-spread support of the group, and by extension, the corporation…”
“Richard!” the Angel calls out with more authority, surprising the thin man before him. “We’re having a meeting about the missing X-Men.”
“Oh,” Fenster says, as if this is the first he’s noticed that there was such a meeting going on, so great was his enthusiasm about what brought him into this meeting room in the first place. Dazzler, seated beside the Angel, with her right hand on his thigh, puts her left hand in front of her mouth to hide her smile.
“Not that I don’t want to hear about our stock report,” the Angel responds, “especially if it’s favorable. But have you made any progress on finding out anything about those missing X-Men?”
“I’ve got some of the best investigators available on it,” Fenster replies. “I just spoke to them about thirty minutes ago.”
“And…?” Iceman asks.
“They’re supposed to get back up with me this afternoon,” Fenster explains. “Rockford assures me that he’s onto something, but I hate to see his expense report.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Angel responds dismissively. “He could probably use a new paint job on his firebird.”
“Here’s the bottom line, Fenster,” Iceman interjects, his irritation evident in his tone, “when are we going to find out something about the missing X-Men?”
“In all fairness, Bobby,” Darkstar comments, looking over at Iceman. Her tone is calming. “You had your share of enemies…and still do. It’s a matter of narrowing them down…”
“I know that, Laynia,” Iceman responds, somewhat calmer than he was a moment earlier. “But we’ve been hunted and hounded for years. Magneto, the Sentinels…even the US government. Now that I think about it, even other super-hero groups have hounded us. It’s understandable that it’s a little difficult to narrow down the list of possible culprits here. Or that I wouldn’t be skeptical about getting help from other sources.”
“The very fact that you have so many enemies,” Black Widow points out, “is what makes it difficult to figure out who’s responsible.”
“Let’s look at things logically,” Winter Soldier comments. “How many of your prior foes are capable of taking down Cyclops and Phoenix…”
“Well,” Iceman responds thoughtfully. “Magneto could do it. Maybe the Sentinels. But we just fought the Sentinels recently*, so I guess we might be able to exclude them. Juggernaut has the power to do it.”
[*As recently (at least where Iceman is concerned) as Champions #17, which took place immediately prior to 1970s Champions #1.]
“So does Count Nefaria now,” Angel adds. “Since he became an evil Superman.”
“He was a big enough nuisance before,” Iceman says, only half in jest.
“That’s only part of the equation though,” Black Widow suggests.
“She’s right,” Winter Soldier says, turning to Black Widow and adding a smile. “As usual.” Then, turning back to Angel and Iceman, he adds: “You also have to consider who could just make the Beast disappear. I mean, he pretty much disappeared right before our eyes.”
“And in a moving quinjet, I mean C-Craft,” Wonder Man adds. “Or whatever you call your flying aircraft.”
“That’s…” Angel starts to respond, his face lighting up as if he had a sudden revelation.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The very building shakes from the impact of something that has struck it so hard that it sways from the impact.
“What is this?!” Hercules demands, rising to his feet, even as the building continues to sway beneath him. “Someone hath dared to strike us in our home?!”
“Nothing new for this line of work, buddy,” Wonder Man comments, as he and Hercules rush over to the window to see if they can see what has happened.
“I can’t see a thing!” Wonder Man exclaims in frustration, looking out the window. “There’s definitely something going on, but…” Before he can complete his sentence, he is thrown to the ground by another impact to the side of the building that throws him off-balance.
“Enough!” Hercules exclaims, leaping through the window, which sends shattered glass outward. His team mates instinctively cover their eyes and step back slightly, except for Wonder Man, who follows immediately behind him out the window. “The prince of power will find out who dares to attack us and teach them the error of their ways!”
“Sounds good to me!” Wonder Man shouts. “I guess…Champions Assemble…or something like that!” Black Goliath, looking down to measure the distance to the ground, considers doing the same.
“I’d better grow a bit before I follow those two,” Black Goliath silently considers. “They’re a lot more invulnerable than I am. I’m pretty sure I can survive the fall, but I’m not sure what kind of shape I’d be in when I hit the ground, and I’m pretty confident that we all need to be in out best fighting form.”
“Oh, well,” Angel remarks. “Another job for the window repairman. I don’t know what he’d do if Hercules didn’t keep him in business.” Angel looks at Iceman and shrugs. “They’re right,” Angel comments. “Iceman, give everyone who can’t fly an ice bridge down. Everyone who can fly….follow me!” With that, Angel, carrying Dazzler in his arms, takes to the air, following behind Hercules and Wonder Man.
As Angel and Iceman make their way to the ground, they are greeted by the sight of Colossus, who is standing at the base of their Champions Building, his fist reared back to deliver another blow. Behind him, flashing his claws threateningly, is Wolverine. Storm and Banshee hover overhead. Havoc and Polaris stand together near Wolverine. Nightcrawler crouches on the other side of Wolverine, a puff of brimstone directly behind him, evidence of a recent teleport.
“The new X-Men!” Angel exclaims. “What are you doing here, and why are you trying to demolish our building?”
“I got a better question for ya, bub,” Wolverine says, rubbing his claws together, making a screeching sound, as he looks up through his claws. “Where are Scott and Jeannie? Are ya gonna tell us, or are we gonna have to beat it outta ya?”
To be continued…!
NEXT ISSUE: The Champions vs. the New X-Men, while Ares and his group of villains wait in the wings to pick up the pieces. All in 1970s Champions #14!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
CABLES OF CHAMPIONS
You hold in your hands 1970s Champions #13. This is a story I’ve been working towards since I started the series. One of the things I’ve intended to do from the beginning is make this show as close to the 1970s as I can. To that end, I intend to use groups from the 1970s, continuity from that time period, and villains that people who grew up in the 1970s, or just people who enjoy reading stories set in that time period, would enjoy.
One of the key things that hopefully set this series apart from others is that it’s not intended to be a retcon. I fully intend to use continuity and situations from 1978 to tell my stories. What that means is that the 1970s characters are in their power levels from that era. They are exactly as they were in 1978. That means that Wolverine isn’t 200 years old (or whatever they’re saying these days), Storm is as she was in 1978 (and not the often overbearing way that Claremont and others would write her).
As someone who read the X-Men during that time, I remember how they were in 1978, and that’s what you’ll see in this storyline. And that’s going to be the plan with whatever I do in 1970s Champions. So, it might be a departure for readers who read the stories in more recent continuity, but it might be something that older readers can appreciate. At any rate, that’s been the goal of this series from the beginning, and hopefully, it’ll be realized in these pages.
As always, your comments are welcome at [email protected].
-Jeff
Part V: Cornered in California!
♪Theme Music: “Time” by the Alan Parsons Project♪
The Champions C-Craft made its way back from Canada, where the Champions fought Alpha Flight. Within the craft, which is piloted by Angel, are the Black Widow, the Winter Soldier, Iceman, Darkstar, Black Goliath, and their guests: Dazzler, Wonder Man, and the Beast.
“A Canadian government-sponsored team,” the Angel remarks. “I don’t like it. I wouldn’t have the government fund this team. Anything they have their hands on, they can destroy.”
“We’ve seen that plenty,” Iceman adds. “Especially with the Sentinels. I’ve never trusted government. The bigger it is, the worse it gets.”
“The world has changed so much since the 1940s,” Winter Soldier responds. Black Widow, seated next to him, looks over sympathetically. She realizes that acclimation to this time period has been difficult, even though he’s technically been around for some of it. “It was more common for government to be involved with heroes and teams back in that time. The Invaders had a lot of involvement with the government, although Whizzer never liked that.”
“Whizzer is a wise man,” the Angel comments. “I met another of your former teammates, Red Raven.”*
[*They fought in X-Men #44]
“His was an interesting story,” Winter Soldier muses, “but he fought as fiercely as anyone I’ve ever met. When I was in the Liberty Legion, we fought the Skyshark together, along with someone who turned out to be a time-misplaced Ben Grimm.** I’d met Ben during the war—he was a pilot in the war***—but never would have figured him to become a rocky monster. Or that Major Richards of the OSS**** would become Mr. Fantastic, for that matter.”
[**Marvel Two-in-One Annual #1.]
[***As shown in Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders #7.]
[****Yes, the very same Reed Richards, who is a founding member of the FF, was in the OSS during the war in 1960s and 1970s continuity, as revealed in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes #3.]
“My father was…” Wonder Man starts to say, but looks with concern at his good friend, the Beast, who was holding his head in his hands and having trouble remaining seated in his chair. “Hank!” he exclaims with concern, reaching out for the blue-furred Avenger. “Are you all right?”
“I’m not sure,” Hank replies. His voice is weak and his eyes look glassy. He unfastens his seat belt. “Feeling woozy…having trouble breathing…feeling kind of sick…”
“We’ll be landing in about fifteen minutes, Hank,” Angel says from the pilot’s seat. “Can you hold out that long? We’ve got a medical facility on-site, but if you need me to take you to the hospital…”
“Hank!” Wonder Man exclaims. Black Widow and Winter Soldier look over to where Wonder Man sits, only to see an empty seat where Beast was a moment earlier. “HANK!”
“What happened to the Beast?” Black Widow asks, looking around for any signs of him.
“I don’t know!” Wonder Man exclaims. “He just…vanished!”
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “Taking Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive♪
Hercules, Ghost Rider, and Cobalt Man walk into the Champions conference room, where they see a very concerned Angel, Iceman, Darkstar (who is gently caressing Iceman’s hand), Winter Soldier, Black Widow, Dazzler, and Wonder Man seated around the conference table, which is made of fine varnished oak, and has a large “C” emblazoned on its surface.
“What troubles thee, Angel?” Hercules asks, noting the looks of concern on the faces of his teammates.
“Yeah,” Johnny Blaze adds. “We got the message that…”
“Is that Cobalt Man?!” Iceman exclaims, rising from his chair. “What’s he doing here?”
“Look,” Cobalt Man says, “I’m not here to start any trouble, and I’ll be happy to leave…”
“What is the meaning of this?” Hercules demands. “Cobalt Man helped us defeat villains who attacked this city. It was a personal welcome from the prince of power that brought him here.”
“It’s all right, Bobby,” Angel responds. “It’s true that we fought him once, but I never got the impression Cobalt Man was a master villain or anything. We should give him a chance, if he’s willing to help.”
“He is,” Johnny Blaze chimes in, “and I think he’s already proven that earlier. Hercules is right: he came here because we asked him to.”
The Angel ends any further discussion by directing the new arrivals to sit down. “We can sort all of that out later,” he explains. “We need to catch you up to date on what we are dealing with.”
As the Angel talks, a white screen rolls down from the ceiling behind him. It lights up quickly, revealing the faces of Cyclops, Phoenix, and the Beast, each in a separate head-shot photo. He looks over to Black Widow, who nods, as she gets to her feet.
“We’ve learned that Cyclops and Phoenix were recently abducted,” Black Widow explains. “And, on the way back here from Canada, the Beast simply disappeared from his seat on our Champscraft.”
“Disappeared?” Cobalt Man asks. “But how? He can’t teleport…can he?”
“No,” the Angel responds simply. “He doesn’t have that power.”
“We’re still trying to piece together the details,” the Black Widow continues, “but it seems that someone is targeting the X-Men.”
“Has anyone contacted the X-Men to see if there have been other disappearances?” Johnny asks.
“I’ve tried,” the Angel responds, “but I’m not getting anywhere with it. I haven’t been able to reach the professor, and his team seems to be out of the country at the moment. Not sure what they’re doing, but that’s not uncommon. I have no way to know if there have been other disappearances.”
“Well,” Cobalt Man comments, “I know there is a new group of X-Men today, but from what I’m seeing, it seems that the original team is the target.”
Iceman and Angel exchange glances. “That might be,” Iceman admits, “based on what little we do know.”
“He’s right,” Johnny Blaze remarks. “If it is the original team that they’re going after, we can expect two things: it’s likely to be an old villain of yours, and you’re probably next.”
“I’ve thought about that myself,” the Angel comments. “I’ve got Richard putting together a team of expert private investigators to gather information, and I have Emerson Bale looking at the legal aspects of this case.”
“If some vile fiend is capturing thy friends, Warren,” Hercules says with certainty, “we will find them and stop them.” He places his hand on Cobalt Man’s shoulder. “And I am certain that Cobalt Man will assist us as well.”
Cobalt Man was caught off-guard by Hercules’ decision to draft him into the rescue mission—or whatever it turns out to be, but he feels compelled to help now. He probably would have offered himself, he assures himself, but it doesn’t matter now. “Uh, sure,” he offers. He hasn’t forgotten how they greeted him when he came into the room, but he can’t blame them.
“You do realize,” Bobby comments, looking over to his friend, even as Darkstar looks on with concern, “that if your theory is right about the original X-Men being targeted…”
“We’re the only two left?” Angel asks, finishing his long-time teammate’s statement. “Yeah, I know.”
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson♪
Meanwhile, across town, Ares sits in a whirlpool within the penthouse suite at the most elegant hotel in Los Angeles. His index finger swirls in the hot water, while Satana slowly makes her way towards him. She drops her bright red robe on the tile at the top of the hot tub, revealing her sultry body. She sighs with delight as her foot touches the hot water. She leans her head back seductively, as he legs become submerged in the water.
“I love the heat,” she says, as she sits down beside her lover, Ares. He takes in the beautiful villainess with his eyes.
“Thy body generates plenty of heat,” Ares returns, leaning forward and kissing her. He then slides back against the wall again, placing his arm around her shoulder, his fingers dangling down to her chest.
“When I was starting to get into the hot tub,” Satana asks, enjoying the sensation of the hot tub and Ares’ attention, “I noticed an image in the water?”
“Ah yes,” Ares sneers. “A project of mine.” He gestures with his index finger once again in the calming water, his finger moving slightly through the water. An image of a mansion appears and figures in the shadows there.
“Our group of cutthroats are getting restless,” she says, her hand resting on Ares’ thigh, gently caressing it. “It’s difficult to keep them contained. They’ve been on minor jobs here and there, but the leash is being stretched very thin.”
“I know, my love,” Ares responds with a nod. “They will not have much longer to wait. All is almost in readiness. Yet, a new opportunity arose that I could not avoid using to our advantage.”
“Pray tell,” Satana asks, moving her hand under the water. Ares lets out a sigh.
“’Twould seem that former allies of the Angel (Satana reviles at the name) and Iceman hath disappeared,” Ares explains. Satana arches her eyebrow with a curious look. “Although ‘tis not our doing, the disappearance of some of their friends—the most recent being a short time ago—it is something that we can benefit from.”
“I love the way your mind works,” Satana says while Ares lowers his arm around to her waist.
“There is some animus that already exists,” Ares explains, the image of the mansion starting to fade, and the shadowy images with it. “It will take but little encouragement on my part to turn that into a raging inferno. An inferno that will explode against our enemies.”
“You have intentions, then,” Satana asks, a wicked smile on her darkly beautiful face, “of sending that team against the Champions?”
“I must admit that I cannot resist the temptation,” Ares returns, “of creating a war out of that spark, and watching it develop.”
“But our group is ready to fight them,” Satana counters.
“That is the beauty of my plan,” Ares explains. “After the Champions hath fought the others, who are already in transit to them, they will be in perfect position for our warriors to finish them.”
“You expect this group of misfits to be a serious challenge to the Champions?” Satana asks, her eyebrow rising with interest, as she slides against Ares’s body, letting his arm wrap around her. She rests her head against his chest and looks up at him.
“Nay,” Ares responds. “But that is not the point. The point is the conflict itself. If it serves to weaken our foes, e’en the slightest bit, it hath served its purpose…and so have this group of ‘misfits’ as thou didst rightly call them. Regardless, they are but pawns to be used by such as ourselves. When their usefulness is ended, so too shall be their lives.”
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “The Boys are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy♪
“I’m a genius! A financial wizard!”
The Angel and his fellow Champions turn their heads, where they see a familiar figure, wearing a plaid suit with patches on the elbows, walking into the room. He is carrying a briefcase and has a folded-up copy of the stock section of the Los Angeles Times in his left hand.
“Richard?” Angel asks, incredulous about Richard Fenster’s sudden entrance into the room. “What are you…?”
“Stocks of Champions Inc. have risen 20%,” Fenster continues. “I admit that I was concerned at first, given the recent run-in with the Avengers, and some of the destruction caused to the city in some of your battles, but public opinion of the government is low currently, so it actually led to some wide-spread support of the group, and by extension, the corporation…”
“Richard!” the Angel calls out with more authority, surprising the thin man before him. “We’re having a meeting about the missing X-Men.”
“Oh,” Fenster says, as if this is the first he’s noticed that there was such a meeting going on, so great was his enthusiasm about what brought him into this meeting room in the first place. Dazzler, seated beside the Angel, with her right hand on his thigh, puts her left hand in front of her mouth to hide her smile.
“Not that I don’t want to hear about our stock report,” the Angel responds, “especially if it’s favorable. But have you made any progress on finding out anything about those missing X-Men?”
“I’ve got some of the best investigators available on it,” Fenster replies. “I just spoke to them about thirty minutes ago.”
“And…?” Iceman asks.
“They’re supposed to get back up with me this afternoon,” Fenster explains. “Rockford assures me that he’s onto something, but I hate to see his expense report.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Angel responds dismissively. “He could probably use a new paint job on his firebird.”
“Here’s the bottom line, Fenster,” Iceman interjects, his irritation evident in his tone, “when are we going to find out something about the missing X-Men?”
“In all fairness, Bobby,” Darkstar comments, looking over at Iceman. Her tone is calming. “You had your share of enemies…and still do. It’s a matter of narrowing them down…”
“I know that, Laynia,” Iceman responds, somewhat calmer than he was a moment earlier. “But we’ve been hunted and hounded for years. Magneto, the Sentinels…even the US government. Now that I think about it, even other super-hero groups have hounded us. It’s understandable that it’s a little difficult to narrow down the list of possible culprits here. Or that I wouldn’t be skeptical about getting help from other sources.”
“The very fact that you have so many enemies,” Black Widow points out, “is what makes it difficult to figure out who’s responsible.”
“Let’s look at things logically,” Winter Soldier comments. “How many of your prior foes are capable of taking down Cyclops and Phoenix…”
“Well,” Iceman responds thoughtfully. “Magneto could do it. Maybe the Sentinels. But we just fought the Sentinels recently*, so I guess we might be able to exclude them. Juggernaut has the power to do it.”
[*As recently (at least where Iceman is concerned) as Champions #17, which took place immediately prior to 1970s Champions #1.]
“So does Count Nefaria now,” Angel adds. “Since he became an evil Superman.”
“He was a big enough nuisance before,” Iceman says, only half in jest.
“That’s only part of the equation though,” Black Widow suggests.
“She’s right,” Winter Soldier says, turning to Black Widow and adding a smile. “As usual.” Then, turning back to Angel and Iceman, he adds: “You also have to consider who could just make the Beast disappear. I mean, he pretty much disappeared right before our eyes.”
“And in a moving quinjet, I mean C-Craft,” Wonder Man adds. “Or whatever you call your flying aircraft.”
“That’s…” Angel starts to respond, his face lighting up as if he had a sudden revelation.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The very building shakes from the impact of something that has struck it so hard that it sways from the impact.
“What is this?!” Hercules demands, rising to his feet, even as the building continues to sway beneath him. “Someone hath dared to strike us in our home?!”
“Nothing new for this line of work, buddy,” Wonder Man comments, as he and Hercules rush over to the window to see if they can see what has happened.
“I can’t see a thing!” Wonder Man exclaims in frustration, looking out the window. “There’s definitely something going on, but…” Before he can complete his sentence, he is thrown to the ground by another impact to the side of the building that throws him off-balance.
“Enough!” Hercules exclaims, leaping through the window, which sends shattered glass outward. His team mates instinctively cover their eyes and step back slightly, except for Wonder Man, who follows immediately behind him out the window. “The prince of power will find out who dares to attack us and teach them the error of their ways!”
“Sounds good to me!” Wonder Man shouts. “I guess…Champions Assemble…or something like that!” Black Goliath, looking down to measure the distance to the ground, considers doing the same.
“I’d better grow a bit before I follow those two,” Black Goliath silently considers. “They’re a lot more invulnerable than I am. I’m pretty sure I can survive the fall, but I’m not sure what kind of shape I’d be in when I hit the ground, and I’m pretty confident that we all need to be in out best fighting form.”
“Oh, well,” Angel remarks. “Another job for the window repairman. I don’t know what he’d do if Hercules didn’t keep him in business.” Angel looks at Iceman and shrugs. “They’re right,” Angel comments. “Iceman, give everyone who can’t fly an ice bridge down. Everyone who can fly….follow me!” With that, Angel, carrying Dazzler in his arms, takes to the air, following behind Hercules and Wonder Man.
As Angel and Iceman make their way to the ground, they are greeted by the sight of Colossus, who is standing at the base of their Champions Building, his fist reared back to deliver another blow. Behind him, flashing his claws threateningly, is Wolverine. Storm and Banshee hover overhead. Havoc and Polaris stand together near Wolverine. Nightcrawler crouches on the other side of Wolverine, a puff of brimstone directly behind him, evidence of a recent teleport.
“The new X-Men!” Angel exclaims. “What are you doing here, and why are you trying to demolish our building?”
“I got a better question for ya, bub,” Wolverine says, rubbing his claws together, making a screeching sound, as he looks up through his claws. “Where are Scott and Jeannie? Are ya gonna tell us, or are we gonna have to beat it outta ya?”
To be continued…!
NEXT ISSUE: The Champions vs. the New X-Men, while Ares and his group of villains wait in the wings to pick up the pieces. All in 1970s Champions #14!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
CABLES OF CHAMPIONS
You hold in your hands 1970s Champions #13. This is a story I’ve been working towards since I started the series. One of the things I’ve intended to do from the beginning is make this show as close to the 1970s as I can. To that end, I intend to use groups from the 1970s, continuity from that time period, and villains that people who grew up in the 1970s, or just people who enjoy reading stories set in that time period, would enjoy.
One of the key things that hopefully set this series apart from others is that it’s not intended to be a retcon. I fully intend to use continuity and situations from 1978 to tell my stories. What that means is that the 1970s characters are in their power levels from that era. They are exactly as they were in 1978. That means that Wolverine isn’t 200 years old (or whatever they’re saying these days), Storm is as she was in 1978 (and not the often overbearing way that Claremont and others would write her).
As someone who read the X-Men during that time, I remember how they were in 1978, and that’s what you’ll see in this storyline. And that’s going to be the plan with whatever I do in 1970s Champions. So, it might be a departure for readers who read the stories in more recent continuity, but it might be something that older readers can appreciate. At any rate, that’s been the goal of this series from the beginning, and hopefully, it’ll be realized in these pages.
As always, your comments are welcome at [email protected].
-Jeff