issue#4, part I
Legion Extreme Issue #4 :The Star of Karnak, part I
The letter read:
Need a date for the Opening. Are you available?
--Heather
Private Investigator Jae Sun Lee looked at the letter and then the front page of the Arts section in the Boston Globe. It said: Star of Karnak to come to Boston!
In exactly one month, the reliquaries from the tomb of Imohotep, recently uncovered in the Valley of Kings, would be on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. Someone had pulled a major coup with the Egyptian government as the touring exhibit also claimed to include the legendary Star of Karnak, the largest star sapphire in known existence.
Slipstream entered the backroom at Dr. Lu’s. The apothecary’s shop was fast becoming Legion Extreme HQ, despite the old man’s continued protests.
“So whatcha got there, Jae Son dude?”
Dr. Lu chimed in, “It’s a letta from his gur—.”
Jae Sun Lee gave him a look that would have meant death for most men, so Dr. Lu stopped short of answering the question.
“Correspondence from an old friend,” Jae Sun Lee smiled, but as usual did not offer that crucial bit of information.
Slipstream changed the subject.
“Wasn’t it too cool to meet the Champions?”
Before Jae Sun could answer, he added, “I think that Warwolf and Ironclad throwin’ down would have been sweet. They like stared each other down and Warwolf growled and Ironclad cracked his metal knuckles.”
Jae Sun was actually thinking about Nighthawk and his cryptic comment: “Detective, be careful next time.”
Had his secret other self been discovered by the Champion’s own investigator while flying above in the V-Jet? Jae Sun would have to find out for sure and also, learn Nighthawk’s secrets.
“And then I thought Sapphire and Darkfire were gonna go at it. You know, like a cat fight!”
“So, Slipstream, you are thinking that it is too bad Witchfire did not step in between them when she did? I seem to recall Dragonfist…I mean Anaka telling me that you were the peacemaker that day. Why are you changing the story?”
Slipstream paused.
“I think, Slipstream, that you are more honorable than you would like to be perceived.”
Slipstream smiled then and replied, “You know, I really thought that Defender was a good guy. He was much different than I thought he would be.”
“He leads the Champions, the official superhero team of Millenium City. Would you expect less?”
**
Time passed. Darkfire, with Vivian Wu’s help was becoming more and more fluent in English and integrated a little better into society. Classes for Valor and Armando continued at their respective institutions. Brian as Slipstream continued to make public appearances, the highlight of which was a commercial on local television for the Emperor’s Garden. Sales of egg rolls boomed and both Jae Sun and Da-ting Ho were pleased. Dragonfist and Dr. Lu fell into the routine of running their small businesses. The United States replenished the spy satellites that Dr. Destroyer had neutralized.
However, a few strange things began to happen as the leaves began to change and the fall wind began to blow into Boston, and as Jae Sun would note later, the Star of Karnak drew closer….
**
Anaka Ai Lee walked from his dojo towards the Emperor’s Garden for his daily lunch. As he rounded a corner, even though dressed for the fall weather a chill assailed him. He stopped and instinctively looked around. Shadows caused by the bright sun hitting the sides of tall buildings here in Chinatown played tricks on his senses.
Dragonfist! I am coming to defeat you! came a harsh whisper that seemed to come from the shadows.
That was no trick. He spun around catching what he thought was a fleeting figure out or the corner of his eye. He heard a mocking laughter and then the chill was gone.
He walked to meet Jae Sun more quickly. Inside the Emperor’s Garden, he sat down, heart still pumping, and a little paranoid as he watched each patron and employee.
“Anaka, what is it?”
“A whispering voice. Someone is here to fight me.”
Jae Sun chuckled. “What did you expect? You have been public as a member of Legion Extreme for over a month. Every martial arts hero will be arriving at some point to prove to you that he or she is better.”
“But maybe it’s—“
“No, I doubt that. I do not think that they would announce their intentions. They would attack without warning and seek to do extreme harm. In any case, I suggest that in general you do not travel alone. This will work fine for me, as tonight I am meeting a friend for dinner. I would like you to chauffeur.”
Anaka looked at Jae Sun like he was crazy.
“Anaka, you are the only one among us who knows how to operate an automobile.”
The martial artist just shrugged his shoulders. He was still visibly shaken and a little bit angry that Jae Sun had made little of someone hunting him. Jae Sun Lee was also not a person to ask favors of others so he merely crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair and stared at Anaka through half-closed lids.
Eventually, Anaka broke, “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Good, now that item number one is settled. What do you make of this?”
He handed Anaka the day’s paper opened to a section that read: Fires Continue to Break Out in Somerville. Arsonists suspected.
“Yeah, that’s old news. I saw it this morning. You know Mr. Lee, you should watch TV. You would be better informed and quicker.”
“I prefer not to watch television. It is one of my quirks. I think I will tell Slipstream and Valor to begin patrolling. It is what superhero teams ought to do, I gather.”
“You mean ‘ask’, right?”
Anaka had run out of patience. He rose to leave. Jae Sun did not stop him.
However, he called, “Vivian has arranged for you to obtain the keys to the limousine around six. Please arrive at my office by seven.”
Anaka grumbled all the way to Dr. Lu’s.
**
However, Anaka did arrive at the appointed time, complete with chauffeur’s outfit, and drove Jae Sun to pick up his date.
“Omni Parker House, Anaka.”
They arrived and Jae Sun entered while Anaka waited. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw the woman Jae Sun escorted towards the limo. She was tall and muscular, with short, red-hair, diamond earrings, and very striking in a sleeveless, low cut, black dress that left her back exposed. Apparently, similar to Jae Sun, she was un-phased by the chilly night air.
“Heather McGowrie, meet my friend and personal bodyguard, Anaka Ai Lee.”
She offered her hand and Anaka shook it. A wry grin crossed her face as she nearly crushed his hand with her grip. Like Darkfire, she was also immensely strong.
“Well, lad, I hope Jae Sun pays you well. He has many enemies,” she said with the hint of a Scottish brogue in her voice.
Anaka only smiled and did not speak, trying to prevent her from gaining any information or advantage from her posturing. He performed his chauffeur-ly duties and soon was driving them to dinner.
Jae Sun had chosen Top of the Hub at the Prudential Building. There they would be able to take in the city and skyline view from many seats at this restaurant. It also had elegant and romantic décor. Table talk would also be no problem as the noise level tended to be unobtrusive, and a hushed tone would dominate anything that Jae Sun and his date would discuss. He had known her for decades, maybe longer and also knew that she sometimes acted on the wrong side of the law.
Thus, it came as no surprise that her true reason for the visit came up quickly in the conversation.
“Jae Sun, some friends of mine and I have a job here in town, and I was wondering if you wanted in. We could use an investigator of you caliber.”
“Catteran, I am not in that line of work anymore,” Jae Sun replied bluntly.
Heather McGowrie narrowed her eyes at the mention of her other identity.
“That 's right, lad. I heard. You have adopted a group of chump superheroes," she added this time rolling her eyes.
“They are young and inexperienced, but they have amazing potential. They are certainly not chumps.”
“Sigh.... So you won’t help us. It is a shame,” Catteran smiled coyly. “We used to be a good team, you and I.”
Now it was Jae Sun’s turn to stare hard at the woman.
“Boston is my city and I do not take kindly to supervillians or thieves.”
“My you’ve changed,” she giggled. “But it does not matter. You are too idealistic. They will betray you in the end. Our kind must stick together, Jae Sun.”
She reached for his hand, but Jae Sun Lee casually removed it from the table.
“Heather, we immortals have a duty to help the short-lived ones.”
“We immortals need to help ourselves.”
Heather leaned back, cat-like, causing a few male eyes to dart in her direction. However, Jae Sun kept his eyes fixed on hers.
“Be careful that you do not help yourself too much at the expense of others. For whom are you performing this job? I assume you are here to steal the star sapphire.”
Seeing that her flirtation was not having the desired affect, Catteran sat back up.
“I do not reveal my employers.”
“Do you even know who they are? How nefarious might they be?”
“Jae Sun, while I may be a cat…burglar,” she winked, “You know I do not work nor do I condone helping those who are truly evil. Are you sure you don’t want in, lad? The pay is very good.”
“Heather, I said I would not. Please do not ask me further and jeopardize our friendship.”
She pouted, “Will you still accompany me to the opening?”
“Of course I will. You know that I would much rather keep my eye on you than not.”
“Really, Jae Sun?”
Jae Sun cleared his throat, realizing how his last statement could be misinterpreted.
“Enough talk of business, Heather. Please let us enjoy our meal and remember the past, before the night becomes too old.”
She agreed with a mischievous smile, and the conversation turned to the weather and other small talk, much to Jae Sun’s relief.
**
Meanwhile….
Anaka Ai Lee waited by the limo. He took a rag and casually began spot cleaning the vehicle.
It is time! he heard that harsh whispering voice nearby.
“Where?” asked Anaka out loud, looking around for the source.
He only saw fleeting shadows.
Up!
Anaka looked up at the Prudential Building and balled his fist.
Hurry! Unless you are afraid…
Mocking laughter followed and Anaka thought that he saw something human-shaped coalesce from the darkness, but it was quickly gone. He gave the valet at the door his keys and a $100 and entered the building. With a nod to the security guard, Anaka entered the elevator and took it to the 52nd floor. He gave a glance into the restaurant, but saw Jae Sun and his date focused on each other. Jae Sun would find out sooner or later. The trail to the roof was obvious. He found two downed security guards in a side corridor and an emergency exit door propped open. He stopped to make sure they were still alive and cautiously made his way to the roof.
The cold wind blew furiously as he stepped into the shadow of the large radio towers that crowned the Prudential Building. He saw his opponent: a muscular, bare-chested, Korean man with a large black dragon face tattooed on his chest. His hair was tied back into a queue that whipped back and forth seemingly on its own accord. He stood with his hands on his hips wearing only his form fitting martial arts pants…and a smug smile. Dragonfist recognized him at once.
“Shadow Dragon, we meet at last!”
“Yes, Dragonfist. I have come here to defeat you and show that you are unworthy to have the name ‘dragon’,” Shadow Dragon replied in that same harsh whisper that seemed to carry across the wind.
Dragonfist began to unbutton his chauffeur’s jacket tying it around his waist and revealing his own sculpted musculature with his own set of dragon tattoos. Both opponents went through their forms. Dragonfist crackled with golden energy as his kung-fu katas ended while around Shadow Dragon shadows darker than the surrounding night writhed after he completed forms. His technique reminded Dragonfist of hapkido.
“Prepare to meet your doom, Dragonfist and face the shadows!”
Dragonfist did not respond but stood fists ready and on the defensive. Shadow Dragon yelled and moved forward, then disappeared. On instinct, Dragonfist spun to this right and put up his best defenses as Shadow Dragon flew from the shadows and connected under Dragonfist’s jaw, barely missing his weaker throat. Dragonfist tasted blood, but followed his sneaky opponent unleashing a torrent of blows and sending Shadow Dragon reeling and leaping and then flipping backwards. Dragonfist popped his fists outward and growled, feeling the energy course through him. While Shadow Dragon had connected hard, Dragonfist, as part of his superhuman abilities, had been able to absorb some of the force of the kick, channeling it into his endurance. He could go down, but not from a lack of stamina.
Suddenly, however, Dragonfist’s world went black as his adversary moved the shadows around the battlefield to form a globe of utter darkness. The hero closed his eyes and gave a quick prayer to his ancestors, moving through a series of forms that would summon a power of perception where he could detect the ch’i of an individual. His sense, highlighting Shadow Dragon as a deep red human outline in the black, acted almost too late as again a vicious kick, this one aimed at his solar plexus, was barely deflected. The force of the blow still sent Dragonfist reeling and he heard some ribs crack.
“You cannot win against us, Dragonfist. The power of darkness will overcome you!”
The voice followed by the annoying, mocking laughter seemed all around him. Dragonfist had had enough of fighting on the defensive and went after the Shadow Dragon. For the next few moments both martial artists fought hand to foot with neither gaining the advantage. Nearly physically taxed, Dragonfist leaped from the darkness seeking higher ground. He landed on a platform attached to one of the radio towers, and defensively let out a series of punches just in case Shadow Dragon had followed him. He heard only the wind, and searched, eyes still closed and using his ch’i sight, catching a fleeting glimpse of magenta amidst the shadows.
“SUPER-HAKUDEN!” he cried using focusing his internal energy into one last-ditch attack.
He was rewarded with a painful, screeching howl and he saw Shadow Dragon, along with part of the roof, fly backwards, and failing to gain a hand-hold, topple over the edge. His scream was lost quickly in the wind. Dragonfist sank to his knees, coughed and spit out some blood, and slunk back downstairs, to tired to look down to see how far Shadow Dragon had fallen. Amidst a few stares from Top of the Hub patrons, which he ignored, he walked to the restroom and cleaned up as much as he could. With a heavy sigh to re-focus, he redid his jacket and went back to the limo. He reached the vehicle just as Jae Sun and Heather returned. He smiled as best he could and tried to hide the limp and soreness, but his face, a bloodied lip and a shiner forming, gave him away.
Jae Sun looked at him and said, “Rough night?”
“Just a small altercation with some of the other drivers.”
There was an understanding that something else had occurred, but Jae Sun, knowing when to be discrete accepted the explanation.
Heather added in her unwanted two cents, “Perhaps you need a better bodyguard if this one cannot handle himself against common rabble.”
Without comment and in silence, Anaka and Jae Sun dropped her off at her hotel and leaving her with only a peck on the cheek, Jae Sun asked his friend to drive him home…
