Bruce Wayne was born the second child of Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane in 1976 in the New Jersey hub known as Gotham City. Thomas was an ethical businessman and statesman who drove Wayne Enterprises into a new era as the competition with other enterprises such as Stark International and Queen Industries had become fierce. Thomas had no interest in a corporate war whilst Gotham faced large urban decay throughout the northern boroughs such as Otisburg, Chinatown, The Bowery, and East End. Standing firm with his wife he sought to put an end to poverty and suffering with The Wayne Foundation. The foundation would be the first step to ‘cleaning up’ Gotham with rehabilitation efforts, social welfare charities, and foster care reform. The foundation would lead Thomas to meet some of his closest supporters who would later become his most trusted friends including a young doctor named Leslie Thompkins and a war-worn security contractor named Alfred Pennyworth.

Bruce’s older brother, Thomas Wayne Jr., was admitted to Arkham Asylum at a young age after a series of mental breakdowns between 1978 and 1984. The apparent insanity would leave a mark on Bruce from a young age as he felt sympathetic towards his brother’s madness. His parents encouraged several childhood friendships with Bruce as they pre-emptively blamed Thomas’ introversion as a cause for his insanity— a encouragement that would secure lifelong relationships with Harleen Quinzel, Robert Langstrom, Julia Pennyworth, and Thomas Elliott. However, a shadow dawned upon Bruce in 1986 when his parents are murdered before his eyes at the hands of Joe Chill. Bruce was left there holding his parents as the blood stained his hands as rookie police officer James Gordon arrived on the scene. This would be the prelude to the person Bruce would become twenty years later.

With his parents dead, the guardianship of Bruce came into question. A question that was answered in Thomas Wayne’s Last WIll and Testament: Alfred Pennyworth.

Jacob Kane found himself furious at his brother-in-law’s decision, believing himself to be the ‘correct’ guardian which led to a short argument between him and Alfred. Bruce’s relationships grew distant as he felt a fury of anger consume him, of which he began an aggressive streak that led to Alfred sending him off to military school in 1988. For the next four years Bruce found discipline at the Samuel Lane Military Academy for Youths, a discipline that would guide him. But as time went on his rage did not leave him, a fact that became evident to himself. Despite meeting fellow students at the academy like Lois Lane, Steve Trevor, Jonathan Banks, and Wade Wilson the young Gothamite would find that there were more important things to life than camaraderie. At the age of sixteen he requested to leave the academy to pursue civilian academics. For the next several years he attended universities all over the United States including Empire State University in New York City, Metropolitan University in Metropolis, and ultimately the University of Gotham in his hometown.

As Edward Nashton became majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises over Lucius Fox, Bruce kept to his studies which led to a young Victoria Vale to interview him for the university’s newspaper. This would be the first time Bruce would be interviewed after his parent’s murder. By 1997, Bruce felt his academic interests were met and began working on conditioning himself for a war he did not realize he was preparing to fight. This led him to prominent escapologists, martial artists, and investigators of various reputations— by the time of Y2K, Bruce had disappeared from the public eye. This inspiration never teetered but it didn’t take until Bruce Wayne met the one man that would change his life: David Cain. Cain found Bruce on one of his missions to discipline himself but after a run-in with criminal individuals in Bangkok it triggered something in the self-destructive (but skilled) Bruce Wayne. Bruce was at the end of his ropes as he found himself being tortured after weeks of attacking drug lords in Bangkok. That was when he was found by him, a man who had actually been sent to destroy the cartels himself as a member of the League of Shadows. He took Bruce in as a potential candidate before the leader of the group that at the time ran its organization out of Bialya: The Demon's Head, Ra's al Ghul.

What happened between meeting Ra's and leaving the League of Shadows was complex as Bruce was groomed to be one of the society’s top operatives. That was until Talia, his daughter, died on a mission in Qurac and the impending result was in a induced state of grief Ra's went insane as he began a vicious turn, and Bruce found himself unwilling to follow the same self-destruction he once felt inside especially after Ra’s re-purposed his society into one of violent discord rather than patient dissent. Bruce did not leave however until he discovered through the history of the guild that The League of Shadows itself had been responsible for the death of his parents and all of his recruitment was all patiently planned. But Bruce did not act out in a burst of rage; but a sense of clarity and resolve. Burning all of his bridges he completely abandoned the League of Shadows—and looked back… back to Gotham. He had seen evil and it had manipulated him- he knew how to face it and now it was time to start his mission against the thralls of evil and the darkness it utilized to corrupt his home.

Returning home twenty-five years after he was born was simple enough. As Alfred welcomed him back with open arms, the press began to chatter about the return of Gotham’s prodigal son—though Bruce had much more ambitious plans for his return to Gotham. Wayne then looked to his father’s legacy; the Wayne Foundation as his public responsibility. However, in the darkness Wayne knew he had more power than what a charity and welfare program could do and took to the streets with a ski-mask and his bare hands. His first few weeks of vigilante justice came through the event of several near-death scenarios and wondered what he was doing wrong. A documentary that Alfred was watching as he came back home about bats triggered the memory and Wayne had an answer – looking to the television serials he watched as a kid he begins to become Batman. After speaking to Lucius Fox, a former Wayne Enterprises R&D specialist and founder of the technological advancement firm called FoxTech; everything changed.

The Dark Knight, The Batman debuted. Beginning to work ferociously against the crime families of Gotham and soon anyone else. This began Bruce Wayne’s triple life as Batman, Bruce Wayne, and Matches Malone. Bruce begins to date Julie Madison some time during this first year. In time, a group of people (Detective Katherine Webb, Lieutenant James Gordon, and the lawyer team of Harvey Dent & Julia Pennyworth); become vital assets in the start of Bruce’s quest to clean up Gotham City as the corrupt members of legal society begin to be pushed out. The Roman Empire begins to lose its hold on Gotham as Carmine Falcone is sentenced in prison and Gotham’s criminal underworld falls apart as several crime families and syndicates fight for the Roman Empire’s lost territory and strength. This war is not without its casualties as Harvey Dent's wife; Gilda Dent is attacked by Roman mobsters. This has a detrimental effect on DA Harvey Dent, but he attempts to power through as he tries to rebuild Gotham as best as he can as he wants to raise his daughter in a Gotham free of chaos and determined by order. In the smoke of the aftermath of the ordeal Carmine Falcone is sent to Blackgate Prison with no possibility of parole and the Roman Empire’s hold on Gotham begins to fall apart.

The following year in 2002 shows promise as the criminal factions of Gotham fight amongst themselves as they stake claims on the territory left weakened by the incarceration of Carmine Falcone. Left with a deteriorated hold on the underworld, Mario Falcone steps up to aggressively hold Roman territory. This of course, makes criminal trade much easier to infiltrate and manipulate to Batman’s favor. However this also causes suspicious behavior in actions spearheaded by Yuri Dimitrov which cumulates in a heist at Ace Chemicals which the caped crusader quickly stops. An investigation into Dimitrov leads him to nearby Bludhaven which is where he discovers something that could implicate his father’s company when experimental Wayne Enterprises technology falls in the hands of The Blockbuster Gang who intend to use it to annihilate their rivals, The Red Hood Gang. Working with former JSA member, John Law aka The Tarantula, Batman races against time to defuse the situation and restore peace to the city. In the aftermath, the technology is stopped but not before the leader of the Red Hood Gang is murdered in a crossfire between the corrupt police and both gangs. The death of Willis Todd would be one of Batman’s first failures which becomes clear as Willis’ son, Jason, is left with no family and shipped off to the Bludhaven foster care system as his father lies dead from a police sniper.

Returning to Gotham, it is clear to Batman that he needs to find out how Wayne Enterprises technology got into the hands of the Dimitrovs who sold it to the Blockbuster Gang in the first place— but before he can continue the investigation tragedy hits as a string of murders are reported by Victoria Vale regarding the production of a movie adaption of Basil Karlo’s “The Terror”. It becomes another race against time as the niece of Alfred Pennyworth, Daphne Pennyworth, is involved in the production and thus a target. In no time at all Batman comes to blows with the mysterious “Clayface” who is discovered to be the disgruntled Basil Karlo himself who refuses the producers to ‘ruin’ his story at any means possible—he is apprehended and sent to Blackgate Prison.

Returning to the case, he goes back to the source of the Bludhaven incident: Yuri Dimitrov. After a vicious conflict in Dimitrov’s nightclub the answers seem to fall into place, but only to ask more questions and for Batman betray the trust he gave out to his father’s business partner— Edward Nashton. The dark knight reminds himself to not act impulsively as he plans out the confrontation between himself and Edward Nashton; after research put into Nashton’s activities he discovers this enigma of a man is funneling and laundering money for his own benefit. In the end with a confrontation and a call to Detective Katherine Webb he is incarcerated. This event becomes a catalyst as Stephanie Nashton, Edward's young daughter becomes obsessed with who Batman is.

December exploited a truth to Bruce as all of the ties to one case he had been working for as it happens that Yuri Dimitrov and Edward Nashton's criminal activity links to a concerning foreign element in the city which reveals itself to be the League of Shadows itself, who have apparently survived Bruce’s attack on them when he was a member. The investigation explodes come Christmas Eve when Ra's al Ghul reveals to Bruce that he had indeed survived and he because of such treachery by Bruce intended to use Gotham as the blueprint for his new world but not before dealing the same punishment to Bruce that he had received at his hands and the penthouse he was throwing his party at is filled with a deadly nerve toxin—in the aftermath he is rescued by a man called Wesley Dodds who gives an antidote to those infected. Dodd’s reveals to Bruce that he’s been following a trail of strange chemicals, thefts at ACE chemicals, and other such things for several months and believes that Ra’s al Ghul intends to make Gotham suffocate on the toxin through the water supply or controlled infections of some sort. It is later revealed that Dodds is the vigilante detective known as “The Sandman”. In the end the two work together and foil the League of Shadows plot.

What happened next, some would say was inevitable as the presence of the ‘superhero’ was met with its antithesis—the ‘supervillain’. Much like in other cities around the world, Gotham’s underbelly revealed its madness to fight the righteousness of the Dark Knight. As the clock revealed a new year so did it reveal The Joker who took it into his capable hands to give a declaration back at Batman that there was nothing he could do to stop the chaos that would follow. It was here at the Gotham City Fairgrounds where The Joker revealed himself as he creates an event that would shake Gotham—the Haly’s Circus Massacre. Individuals like Gillian Loeb lose their life during this event. The massacre was random and unpredictable, something Bruce soon discovered as he found himself on patrol on the opposite end of the city. The Batman would arrive at the chaos only to realize that The Joker had disappeared without a trace into the January darkness as if he had never existed in the first place.

In the resulting months, as if following the Joker’s madness comes a wave of criminals who intend to use Gotham as their playground. The first of these happenings is with the psychopathic Niccolai Tepes who reveals his intentions with Gotham as he believes himself to be a “vampire” and fashions himself as what the Gotham Gazette refers to as “The Monk” due to the religious imagery surrounding his cult. This begins a race against time as he announces his next target: Zatanna Zatara— who happens to be the daughter of one of Bruce’s former mentors making the case all the more imperative. Tepes’ obsession with Zatanna ends with the appearance of Batman and he is taken to Arkham Asylum as an end result.

Following his battle with The Monk, Batman then has to deal with a psychopathic scientist named Karl Hellfern only weeks later. Hellfern’s intent is much more grandiose than Tepes as Batman soon comes to realize as the mad doctor attempts to use an experimental poison to extort money from the Gotham high society with the help of his assistant. Julie Madison is poisoned during the investigation and soon it becomes another race against time. Guilty of Julie being involved in the mess he soon discovers Hellfern’s identity and is upon his doorstep where he makes short work of him and his plans. As the work of the Batman continues to spread so does his reputation due to articles springing up from the Gotham Gazette which glorifies the vigilante as he protects the city from villain after villain. The next threat erupts almost on call on the streets of Gotham as a police officer named Adrian Wentworth has a mental breakdown and finds himself murdering a sales clerk immediately after sexually assaulting her. This begins a string of repeated crimes as the former police officer loses his mind. As Bruce attempts to figure out his pattern the media taunts the serial rapists with a press report that calls him “Sick Nick” which leads him to go further into his own depraved criminal actions. It comes to a point when Marcie Cooper witnesses the murder of her father but not before Nick makes it apparent that he’s content with making the teenaged girl watch him violate her mother. Batman arrives at the last second and curses that his abilities and transportation have stunted him from making such a crime not occur. Marcie becomes obsessed with the chaos of Gotham and becomes unhinged—she is admitted into Arkham Asylum months later.

With three psychopaths emerging out of nowhere Batman decides to ask a professional for his views on what was happening to Gotham so in the darkness of the night he reveals himself to Doctor Harleen Quinzel, a dedicated member of Arkham Asylum. This begins a sort of confidential relationship with the Asylum between Batman and Dr. Quinzel who is oddly all the eager to help him in his understanding of crime to prevent it, but not before trying to psycho-analyze the Dark Knight first. While his leads of the instability of The Monk, Dr. Hellfern, and Officer Wentworth lead to dead ends it seems that somebody in the city was creating such monsters or so he begins to believe.

Nearing the end of the year on Halloween, the Joker reveals himself once again as he intends to use the holiday as he ignites a bomb scare by leaking information to the Gotham Gazette that thirty-seven bombs will go off anywhere between one hour to twenty-four hours. A televised journalist announces this to the public and stirs a panic in which the Joker hijacks a local news channel to announce he will be holding a “sort of party” at Robinson Park where he intends to burn a variety of cash at large amount to celebrate the “end of Gotham”. Batman pushes himself as he finds and disables each of the bombs. The Joker is gone by the time all of the bombs are found and disabled—as if he continues to mock Batman himself with his games.

For several weeks preluding the beginning of the year, a particular case involving a string of arsons has been one of precedence for The Dark Knight. Insisting he is ready, Dick Grayson tries to find a way to put the pieces together as the police remain stumped by the actions with no real quality leads to divulge into. Using “outside of the box” thinking and his own deductive reasoning, Dick finds himself realizing that the arsons were not arsons but actual assassination attempts and that the primary suspect is one man—Garfield Lynns. A former Gotham City Fire Department member who later became Carmine “The Roman” Falcone’s number one “eraser”. Batman is impressed and commends Richard on the fact he caught on to something he overlooked—a rare event. In the confrontation with Lynns; Robin debuts and Lynns is arrested by Detective Webb before he can cause more harm thus beginning the era of the dynamic duo.

It seemed with a new era for Batman it meant a new era of crime for Gotham as well as the mysterious “Penguin” and the elusive “Scarecrow” became apparent in the city’s underworld regarding illegal arms distribution for the former and dangerous narcotics distribution for the latter. The era of the Roman Empire had been replaced by a new one—criminals who were likened to mythic figures similar to how Batman was perceived as one himself. Bruce himself becomes worried about his mission even with the addition of his new ‘soldier’ in Dick Grayson: could he ever truly stop crime if it rebirthed itself stronger and quicker? Still he combated crime to the best of his ability despite his doubts given the circular nature of crime. 2004 would prove to be a year of massive work against criminal factions for the dynamic duo when the mysterious “The Freeze” causes havoc at the local branch of Stagg Industries in Gotham City—using their cryogenic technologies to demand ‘retribution’. As Batman & Robin deal with Freeze the truth of Stagg’s criminal actions against them are revealed as well the identity of the villain in Dr. Nora Fries, but Batman quickly makes it a point that the civilians put in danger are not fair exchange for Freeze’s husband’s life being stuck in limbo. The conflict is put to an end and Nora soon finds herself apprehended by the police as she soon finds a new home in Blackgate Prison.

The height of the year would hit Gotham with the debut of “The Circus of Strange”, a strange group of entertainers that happen to be led in secret by the one man that had eluded The Dark Knight’s justice—The Joker. Rolling into the Gotham Fairgrounds, the site of the infamous massacre, the circus claims to be the friendly replacement and as such lures innocents to their show where The Joker’s chaos soon takes full advantage of. It begins as the showcases start to murder the guests and it comes to Batman & Robin to arrive to put a stop to it and revealing themselves to Gotham for the first time in broad daylight. It is here where Joker reveals himself alongside his mutated accomplice, Killer Croc. A savage and difficult fight ensues but in the end The Joker is seriously beaten and all of the psychopaths are arrested by the police as Batman & Robin disappear. This fight would prove for certainty that the existence of Batman was true to the general public, any doubts that could be left would be gone.

The investigation regarding the Scarecrow comes to a heading as the criminal reveals himself to Harvey Dent as he exposes the fractured district attorney with a strong dosage of his fear gas. Batman & Robin appear on the scene and are also exposed to the fear gas making the conflict difficult with The Scarecrow slipping into the darkness as the madness of fear overtakes civilian and vigilante alike. After the effects have worn off the dynamic duo slip back to the Batcave where Bruce calls in his old ally, Sandman, for answers about the chemical substance Sandman had exposed Harvey Dent to despite having an inkling that an answer could not undo what they had just experienced. This collaboration between Sand and Bat lead the heroes into a confrontation with the chemist behind all of this—Professor Jonathan Crane. The fight is a vicious one, but having information beforehand they are more prepared for the Scarecrow’s tactics and defeat him. Crane soon is locked away at Arkham Asylum.

Following the case, Bruce Discovers an experimental artificial intelligence project that was scrapped called “Oracle” which he systematically re-activates and ties into his main computer in his ambiguous batcave hidden deep underneath Wayne Manor. The intelligence is tied to a branch file on a WayneTech satellite is able to detect planetary collisions and synergize with traffic cameras throughout the United States and especially Gotham. He understands this was an unfinished project that went under the radar due to the sketchiness of the legalities of the software. Knowing himself to use it for properly he adds it to his arsenal.

James Gordon, now making Captain after four years of faith service finds himself framed by a criminal element...

David Cain - Trained Bruce prior to his joining of the secret society known as the League of Shadows. Refined his skills in espionage, sabotage, and weaponry.

Ted Grant - Trained Bruce in boxing during Bruce's formative years.

Harvey Harris - A professor of forensic science and a former police detective that taught Bruce during his time at the University of Gotham.

Samuel Lane - When Bruce Wayne was sent to military school following the death of his parents to the age of eighteen he was trained meticulously by Samuel Lane and other officers of the academy.

Shihan Matsuda - Trained Bruce in martial arts and ninjitsu during Bruce's time at his dojo.

Alfred Pennyworth - Trained Bruce in information gathering, resilience, and other fundamental capacities. Bruce still thinks he is teaching him to this day.

Cyril Sheldrake - Was Bruce's fencing instructor before his parent's death.

Giovanni Zatara - Taught Bruce escapology and sleight of hand.

Sasha Bordeaux – An illusive contact and former comrade-in-arms of Bruce's who works as Batman's government intelligence among other things.

Prof. Wesley Dodds – A scientist, inventor, detective, and professor; Wesley Dodds is one of Batman’s oldest and most trusted allies. Due to his expert knowledge of chemistry he finds himself a well-regarded ally amongst Batman’s circle that has in the past been invaluable in the pursuit of protecting Gotham from everyone from The Scarecrow to the League of Shadows. Dodds fights crime under the shadows of night through prophetic dreams and his own deductive skills as “The Sandman”.

Tim Drake – Son of Jack Drake of FoxTech.

Lucius Fox – The genius inventor and adviser to Bruce Wayne, suspects Bruce is Batman due to the vigilantes arsenal of technology but never asks out of fear of the answer.

Barbara Gordon – Gordon's daughter.

James Gordon – A high ranking member of the GCPD and an ally for the Batfamily.

Richard “Dick” Grayson – Bruce's personal assistant, ward, and his sidekick- Robin.

Mary-Elizabeth “Bette” Kane – Bruce's cousin who idolizes Robin.

Katherine Kane – Bruce's cousin who served in the military who has been discharged for "psychological reasons" though Bruce suspects there is more to it than that.

John Law – A former superhero of the JSA known as The Tarantula, and an ally in Bludhaven. Mostly retired or mentoring his protege.

Alfred Pennyworth – Bruce's most trusted mentor and friend. A former British military officer who turned to security consulting when he moved to the United States in the mid-seventies. Pennyworth became situated in Gotham City where he met Thomas Wayne at a fundraiser where the two started up a friendship. The British professional's firm personality and unfaltering morals became the traits that made Thomas pick him as his most trusted confidant and the guardian of his son in case of his demise. Alfred’s wife bore a child named Julia who has proven herself as an acknowledged attorney before she was elected as Gotham’s ADA. Alfred is currently widowed, losing his wife years ago to cancer, and despite his misgivings aids Bruce in his guise as Batman.

Julia Pennyworth – The district attorney of Gotham City, and Alfred’s daughter. Julia has had a complicated relationship with the caped crusader but has found an ally out of his results.

Victoria “Vikki” Vale – A reporter and journalist residing in Gotham City who writes for the Gotham Gazette and reports for GNN. She has had a passing relationship with Bruce Wayne in the past but doesn’t assume of the connection between him and Batman.

Katherine Webb – A detective on the GCPD who was one of Bruce's earliest allies as Batman. A no-nonsense police officer with a strong sense of morality, she has been one of few in the GCPD to avoid corruption during The Roman Empire's influence.

Tatsu Yamashiro – A vigilante who has been fighting the Golden Dragons triad in Chinatown.

Zatanna Zatara - As a magician, illusionist, and sorceress Zatanna is Bruce's connections to the supernatural and arcane aspects of Gotham but their relationship is older than that. Bruce was trained by her father in the art of escapology during his formative years and even had a short-lived relationship with the younger Gothamite before he left the United States to continue his training and education.

Clayface I – Basil Karlo donned the "Clayface" persona to punish people who were ruining his novel in a movie adaption. Blackgate Prison.

Firefly – Garfield Lynns was a arsonist, firefighter, and mob eraser. Blackgate Prison.

The Freeze – Dr. Nora Fries was a cryogenic scientist who suffered a breakdown during an incident at Stagg Industries in Gotham. Blackgate Prison.

Harlequin – Unknown.

Hush – Unknown.

The Joker – A notorious anarchist, murderer, saboteur, and madman. Arkham Asylum.

Killer Moth – A obscure thief who has yet to meet Batman.

The Mad Hatter - Jervis Tetch was a former psychologist and medium that worked for Arkham Asylum in his youth. Tetch's abilities diving into mentally ill minds while effective only made himself more unhinged until he quit his profession and opened a club that catered to the eccentrics and free spirits of Gotham. The Looking Glass whilst a nightclub is also a guise for Tetch's personal cult where he has used his power to manipulate others into being like him or loving him and by extensions his club. This separated into two factions: his personal harem and his personal protectors.

Ra’s al Ghul – The Demon's Head and leader of the League of Shadows; former mentor to Bruce.

The Scarecrow – Professor Jonathan Crane was a psychologist and chemist who infected Gotham with a drug that immersed people with fear. Arkham Asylum.

The Blockbuster Gang - Led by Roland Desmond, the Blockbuster Gang is one of the central sources of street crime in the city of Bludhaven which includes drugs and weapon trafficking as well as several extortion rackets. They are especially known for their aggressive unfaltering brutality which had previously been kept in check by the Red Hood Gang who believed the Blockbuster Gang was nothing more than a bunch of drug-addled thugs who enjoy hurting people to fit their own depraved sense of enjoyment.

The Bertinelli's - Nicknamed “The Sicilian's” the Bertinelli crime family was once the second strongest family in Gotham City. In recent times they have been wiped out and overrun by The Valestra's and The Great White.

The Dimitrov's - Nicknamed “The Slavs” the Dimitrovs are Russians, Serbians, Poles, and Hungarians with a taste for blood. Masters of “information gathering” these eastern thugs moved into Gotham around 2004 and have stayed as a pretty intimidating force.

The Falcone's - Nicknamed “The Roman Empire” the Falcone crime family at one point was the strongest syndicate of crime dating back to Prohibition in the 1920s. Carmine Falcone served as the boss of the family until his imprisonment to Blackgate Prison. Currently Mario Falcone with Salvatore Maroni.

Golden Dragons Triad - Nicknamed “The Chinese” the Golden Dragons control Chinatown.

The Mandragora's - Nicknamed “The Great White” the Mandragora crime family is as ruthless as it is senseless. Defeating the Bertenelli’s in the 2002 granted the boss of the family, Stefano Mandragora a lot of leeway in the Bludhaven and Gotham game.

The Red Hood Gang - Currently led by Thaddeus Ryerstad, the Red Hood Gang was formerly the strongest criminal force in Bludhaven and the only one that kept the Blockbuster Gang in check. Since the death of the former leader, the Red Hood Gang has become weak and scattered. Ryerstad’s organization of the gang doesn’t help much as he’s begun to follow a similar motif as the Blockbuster Gang in a sense of chaotic antagonistic behavior. When the gang was led by Willis Todd the motorcycle gang believed in giving the people of the city a peace of mind as the police became more and more corrupt. Whilst they dealt drugs, they never partaken in them or sold them to children and they believed in a strict code of honor.

The Thorne's - Nicknamed “The Germans” the Thornes are an organization that prefer intelligence and coercion over brute force. Led by Rupert Thorne the family formerly were part of The Roman Empire serving as the backing pool that corrupted the Gotham Police force over thirty years ago though it began very slowly. Now once again independent, it's trying to keep itself from losing it's control of the law and politics which is fading fast. With the current Commissioner Peter Grogan in their control.

The Valestra's - Nicknamed “The Tuscans” the Valestras are like a smaller more rabid version of The Falcones and actually served them as a co-family until Carmine Falcone was arrested and they started an independent streak once more. They are currently at war with the Falcones and are lead by Salvatore Valestra with consultation by their hitter; Carlton Duquesne.

Ace Chemicals - The core asset of Bludhaven owned Walker Industries, ACE Chemicals is a chemical processing and transportation company that deals in a variety of industries. A branch of the company often works closely with Professor Hugo Strange and other scientists in chemical advancements. Its R&D head is Doctor Marc Legrande.

Arkham Enterprises - Founded in 1962 by an entrepreneur in the Arkham family, Arkham Enterprises specializes itself as a real estate empire that owns several high revenue businesses such as Marcielios, Tobacconists Club, the Burton & Associates Investment Firm, the High Towers Casino, and Club Vesuvius. The current business head is Jeremiah Arkham.

The Asylum for the Mentally & Criminally Insane - Nicknamed the "Arkham Asylum" after its founder, Amadeus Arkham who started the institution in the early 20th century. It is separated into two wings: the voluntary wing and the criminal wing. In its most recent history it has had two Directors who have run the facility namely Paul Quinzel and Hugo Strange.

Blackgate Prison - Blackgate Prison is Gotham-Bludhaven's maximum security prison.

Brentwood Academy - Known for it's subtitle: the "Gotham Academy for Higher Learning & Arts" and often shortened down to as GAHLA, the academy is a preparatory private school that is highly prestigious located in New Jersey. The Gotham high society educate their children here, although in recent years a scholarship program has admitted special cases who don't fit the financial criteria. The academy runs grades 2-12 with advanced courses and distinct extracurricular activities (such as archery, gymnastics, etc.).

FoxTech Incorporated - Founded by Lucius Fox with financial backing from Jack Drake, FoxTech Incorporated has been an affiliate of Wayne Enterprises for the last ten years primarily focused in technological innovations and Gotham industry. A good portion of security systems in the Gotham-Bludhaven area are designed at FoxTech. Their main competitor is Star Labs, an affiliate of Queen Industries.

The Looking Glass - An off-beat nightclub owned by Jervis Tetch, the self-styled Mad Hatter.

Stagg Industries-Gotham - The Gotham branch of Stagg Industries is another competitor to Wayne Enterprises and is known for its previous employment of Victor & Nora Fries. It is currently repairing damage done to their facilities due to heavy frost damage.

Stonegate Prison - Stonegate Prison is Gotham-Bludhaven's minimum security prison.

The University of Gotham - The ivy league university of the Gotham-Bludhaven residents was established in 1901 by the Kane family, originally named Kane College it was systematically renamed in 1948. It serves with highly sought after psychology courses, business courses, and the liberal arts.

Anthony “Tony” Stark was born in the late 20th century in Manhattan, New York. Destined for greatness, Tony was to follow in the footsteps of the genius that the Stark dynasty had come to be known for. Stark International had evolved over the past century since its formation as Stark Industries in 1851 by Issac Stark Sr, transforming from a simple weapons manufacturer to a enterprise of multiple fields including automobiles, energy, pharmaceuticals, mass retail, and real estate. This dynastic industrial enterprise and legacy was inspiring to a young Tony Stark— a child who was soon discovered as a child prodigy the likes of which seemed fantastical and simply unreal. When Tony Stark found himself at Brentwood Academy in Gotham City in 1992 he realized even the halls of prestige were boring to him as he soared to the top of the graduating class in a matter of months. However with the intellect that he held Tony was even more immature and pompous then the most precious of America’s elite. When he was socially shunned Tony cared nothing for his peers, believing that they were jealous of his genius and just bottom of the barrel morons and tools who would never amount to anything. As he prepared to graduate from Brentwood Academy he was interviewed by a young girl from his school named Victoria Vale.

By the age of fourteen, Tony Stark had been in-and-out of several colleges and universities— seemingly taking what he needed to know before acquiring credentials he felt he barely even needed. He was compared to Professor Reed Richards in a TIME article that featured his prodigal genius in 1998; an article where Tony’s pompousness and ego came out in public view as he excessively gloated about his achievements and ambitions. However this side of Tony made his parents wary of him as he lacked the humility and wisdom of the previous geniuses of the Stark dynasty. Tony could feel the nervousness his mother felt when they shared a room and averted her eyes to focus on his younger sister. Tony distanced himself from his parents with bitterness and he focused in his ambitious research into state of the art mechanical engineering projects.

Tragedy struck a year later when Tony’s parents were killed in a fatal car accident. Edwin Jarvis, Tony’s maternal grandfather, would take the reigns as guardian of the surviving children during this time. Tony however had enough of being treated like a child and despite being only fifteen decided that given his understanding of business and science could easily stand on his own. Before Y2K rung the bells of the new century the young Tony Stark was working at Stark International as the future face of the company as he began to work alongside Obadiah Stane, the acting CEO of the company following the death of Tony’s father. Following his employment, Tony’s brilliance would bring Stark International many contracts as a weapon manufacturer with the young inventor’s development of repulsion technology that armaments such as the Jericho Missile and Centurion Bomb. Nations such as Markovia, Kaznia, Symkaria, Vlatava, and Pokolistan would be financial parties that sought out these military contracts for their own defense or for their own gain. The “morality” of war was a thing Tony was generally unconcerned with— something that would change in the near future.

However, following the September 11th attacks things became a clustered mess; something that Stane’s leadership of Stark International would bring great profit for. As a precaution to terrorist attacks on American nationals and the increase in vigilantism Tony Stark was assigned a bodyguard named Harold Hogan despite disliking the concept himself. Tony would constantly berate Hogan as a “corporate buzzkill” and a “happy drone”, but as Hogan took these insults in stride he offered something to Tony in time that the Stark heir had never had before— someone who genuinely enjoyed his company. As 2001 carried on the real battle for Tony was only just about to begin.

Finding himself on the edge of what Tony believed to be a breakthrough that could fundamentally advance science, 2002 found itself beginning to an excellent year for him. Combining his father and grandfather’s scattered research on Arc Reactor technology he found himself nearing the conclusion to over seventy years of research. But before he could work any further on the project he found himself visited by Stane who asked Tony to head to Bialya where he was needed to showcase the Jericho MK2 missiles. Realizing the importance of business Tony took flight to the country that was facing a difficult precedent with Syria at the time. This would be the trip that would change Tony’s (and the world’s) life forever and bring upon the genesis of who he was to become. Following the demonstration to Queen Zazzala the testing grounds are attacked by a terrorist cabal called The Ten Rings. During the attack Tony finds himself injured and when he wakes discovers the fact that he has been captured by the aforementioned terrorists. Half-dead and suffering from the effects of the injury he finds himself using trickery and his own genius he develops a powered suit with only scrap metal and a prototype power source. Using the suit to escape he finds his eyes open as he realizes how his own weapons are being used and what the consequences are for such. He finds himself an oddly changed man as he passes out several miles out from the compound before he is rescued by a SHIELD convoy who take him back to the United States.

Weeks after his initial recovery at a SHIELD-sponsored hospital Tony finds himself bemused with questions that have no answers as he resolves to remove the excess of these weapons from play. Taking charge of his company he finds himself causing friction between himself and Stane; friction that Stane sees as an immediate threat to his interests. As more answers begin to unravel, Tony’s re-creates and develops a new power suit based on updated blueprints of his prototype that he used during his initial escape before returning home. The suit would be a key piece to setting things “right”. Iron Man debuts in the following weeks as it hunts down caches of Stark International weapons that have been seized by The Ten Rings as well as defusing conflicts the terrorist cabal becomes active in. Tony Stark becomes “Iron Man”.

However things come to a clash in the skies when Stane attempts to kill Tony before he does any more ‘damage’, believing the inventive prodigy had outlived his usefulness. Stane dons the “Iron Monger” armor, an inferior replica of Tony’s original prototype. Stane’s inferior handling, outdated energy source, and lack of modifications leads to his defeat and in the end is injured before being arrested by SHIELD operatives. Questions begin to rise about Iron Man in the aftermath and under the influence of alcohol Tony answers the question matter-of-factly: Tony Stark is Iron Man.

With Stane gone, Tony found himself dealing with his company in full. As CEO he immediately shut down a good deal of the company’s weapons manufacturing assets as he reminded himself of what he had seen at the hands of The Ten Rings. It was a bold move for the company and many people questioned his reasons due to his previous attitudes in interviews about weapon development and doubts of his character. But Tony didn’t care for his perception and due to the physical pain he still felt as a consequence of The Ten Rings incident he indulged haphazardly into alcohol and other vices; sometimes making a public spectacle out of the parties he would organize.

As Iron Man, Tony found himself working closely with SHIELD liason James Rhodes as part of an arrangement to “accept” his activities as a super-powered vigilante. Tony finds the “military babysitter” entertaining and begins to find ways to annoy Rhodes whilst he does his job overseeing Iron Man. However it becomes evident of the dangers looming in the aftermath of Stane’s defeat when Anton Vanko, a Russian engineer and assassin is hired by Artemus Pithins to assault Tony Stark at one of his ‘infamous’ parties in an attempt to kill Tony Stark so Pithins, the next in the pecking order on Tony’s board of directors could take charge of the company much like Stane had in the previous years. Surviving the first incident with Vanko (aka Whiplash) Tony tries to modify his suit before the assassin returns to finish the job. At the same time, Virginia “Pepper” Potts, a consultant and ‘problem solver’ Tony hired to fix the financial problems left by Stane & Tony’s actions detects shifty maneuvers by Artemus Pithins and discovers his plot as well as a revelation that Pithins has outsourced weapons to foreign buyers despite Tony’s policy changes. Between Pepper, Tony, Rhodes, and a Stark Enterprises computer technician & programmer named Rumiko Fujikawa Pithins’s plot is revealed and dismantled. Whiplash is defeated and incarcerated whilst Pithins flees the country before SHIELD apprehends him.

Following his grandfather's funeral, things spiral out of control for Tony Stark when Ezekial Stane, the son of Tony’s first real enemy as Iron Man surfaces in Vlatava as he starts his own company— Stane Industries. This would’ve been seen as unproblematic if not for the fact that Stane had evidently stolen Stark International technology as a focal point of the company before hiring ex-Soviet scientists to strengthen the products. Product that included the Iron Monger armor. Stane desires revenge and he blindsides Stark at a corporate meeting with two other men in power armor: Boris Bullski, and Yuri Petrovitch. Due to his battle in the previous year against Whiplash, Tony was one step ahead of the curve even with Stane’s scientific team working around the clock. Donning the MK 4 power armor in a snap he was able to survive the encounter against Iron Monger II, Crimson Dynamo, and Titanium Man; though Tony reflected that it was harder surviving their naming conventions of the suits. Believing to have destroyed and humiliated Iron Man / Tony Stark the trio retreated back to Vlatava whilst Tony attempted to repair the damage done when he recovered.

Thus began the “Armor Wars”.

Struggling with the idea of Stane outsourcing and using his designs for ill he decided to take a “professional” visit to Vlatava with a new version of his armor to keep up as well as some ammunition. Probably Tony’s most delicate mission yet considering the political implications of technically attacking a foreign nation. But with Vlatava split into several factions it made a situation ideal as Tony allied himself with Princess Perdita. Perdita’s situation was delicate after the ten year old’s witness to her father’s death at the hands of her uncle who had attempted a coup d'etat several days earlier after a failed assassination attempt in the United States. Tony saw that Stane had allied himself with this uncle, Count Vertigo, and prepared for a tough battle— a battle he was aided by two odd supporters: Silver Sable and Green Arrow.

After defeating Count Vertigo and Stane's trio Tony returned home. He could never imagine Victor von Doom was laying in wait with his diplomats, ready to absorb Vlatava through his prepared political genius.

Many things are on the horizon for Tony Stark, but what?

Antoinette Stark – Tony’s teenage sister that has an estranged relationship with. Currently enrolled at a preparatory academy in Gotham City, Antoinette in Tony’s eyes is a painful reminder of his parents as well as the universe’s failed attempt at making him take up responsibility.

Edwin Jarvis – Tony's grandfather on his mother's side.

Harold Hogan – A former soldier assigned to Tony Stark as his personal bodyguard after the September 11th terrorist attacks that shook New York. In the beginning Tony saw Hogan as a drone and insistently teased him like he had done to others but eventually grew as friends. Even after becoming Iron Man Tony still considers Hogan as his confidant and perhaps one of his closest friends.

James Rhodes – A member of SHIELD’s air response team, The Blackhawks, and the SHIELD liaison to Tony Stark or more accurately Iron Man in a move to keep watch on Tony’s activities. In an odd way, his cooperation with Tony Stark has lent him an understanding for the unhinged “man-child” being not so much what Tony appears to be. After the Whiplash incident he has been an ally to Iron Man as War Machine.

Rumiko Fujikawa – A genius computer programmer and technician. Responsible for aiding Tony with the development of the JARVIS AI.

Virginia “Pepper” Potts – A young woman with a knack for marketing, finance, and general business management. Pepper Potts has become one of the youngest consultants on those willing to keep their business afloat and find out what members in their business are not doing their jobs. Initially hired by Tony Stark because she “caught his eye”, Pepper has stayed with Stark Industries even past her routing of Justin Hammer’s operations. Her reasons for staying with Stark Industries past her initial “mission” is unknown.

Count Vertigo - Former Count of Vlatava, former ally of Stane Industries. Vlatava Dulag.

Crimson Dynamo - Stane Industries pilot. Vlatava Dulag.

Iron Monger I - Obadiah Stane. SHIELD custody.

Iron Monger II - Ezekiel Stane. Vlatava Dulag.

Artemus Pithins - Former employee of Stark International. At large.

The Mandarin - Unknown. Leader of The Ten Rings.

Titanium Man - Stane Industries pilot. Vlatava Dulag.

Whiplash - Anton Vanko. Assassin. SHIELD custody.

Malibu Mansion - Stark's residence during visits to the Bay Area of California.

Stark Townhouse - Metropolis residence previously inhabited by Edwin Jarvis.

Stark Tower - New York City HQ of Stark International. Includes Stark's penthouse office.

The story of the White Tiger begins with the first one to supposedly don the name and costume. Hector Ayala was a nursing student at Empire State University when he found himself in the possession of The Amulet of the Jade Tiger after stumbling on the scene of a grizzly crime in his neighborhood. The scene was dark as two bodies laid in the street, one of them ending up being the elderly Lin Sun— as Hector came to stabilize his wounds he told Hector a phrasing that he wouldn’t quite understand until much later: “For each is born anew, the tiger’s son.” As Lin Sun drifted to his death Hector found he had been given an amulet in his hand shaped of the head of a tiger and made of jade. Failing to save the man’s life and with ambulance on its way, he felt something within the amulet that he would only discover in the succeeding days as the deity within spoke obscurely through to him in his sleep and he found himself stronger, quicker, and with a seemingly endless stream of energy. At first he wasn’t sure what to make of it—but when his younger brother resurfaces as a corpse after meddling with The Jackson Corporation, the medical student decides to take the lead of the heroes of the past and present and use the amulet to protect his family and neighbors within the Bronx so it would never happen again.

Hector was no detective, but the criminal activities around the Bronx was clear and whilst his brother found himself with the wrong types of people he did still have friends. Tracking down the “crowd” his brother ran with in high school he realized that the gang his brother was a part of was a fringe operation of the mysterious “Corporation” as The Kingpin Syndicate had generally lacked much operations in The Bronx at this point rather focusing on Harlem at the time. This is where White Tiger armed in nothing but a hoody and a ski mask would eventually fight his first supervillain— Animus. The battle was long and fierce, one that the more experienced enemy had certainly had the edge on but in a mixture of surprise and celestial guidance it won out in Hector’s favor. In the shadows of the encounter was an injured photo-journalist by the name of Alexander Knox who would be the one to remark on the ferocity of Hector as like that of a tiger and would be the one to name Hector’s vigilante title: White Tiger. After defeating Animus, Hector discussed at length about the situation with the supposed criminal corporation and they shared notes which would foreshadow a long relationship between the vigilante and the reporter.

Despite uncovering that this criminal corporation was operating in the Bronx through a majority of smuggling, weapons distribution, and narcotics development—the newly named White Tiger hadn’t solved the murder of his dear brother completely yet. As his and Knox’s investigation continued they gathered a NYPD detective by the name of Nathaniel Byrd into their fold; eager to clean the streets of the unsaintly scum he found himself working the police angle and sharing non-essential information with the vigilante. These small tips would lead to the White Tiger decommissioning several of this corporations activities until they found themselves fed up and hired a hitman by the name of Gideon Mace to deal with him and to “send a message” to anybody else who could be inspired by this Tiger of the Bronx. Used to tracking military criminals and legal dodgers, Mace tracks White Tiger to his home and makes the connection between the Hispanic vigilante to his family & friends. The end of White Tiger’s first year against crime ends with the death of his parents in front of his sister, Ava Ayala. White Tiger arrives in time to stop his sister from joining his parents and a fight ensues between him and Mace—resulting in Mace being apprehended by Detective Byrd in the end.

Taking the guardianship of his sister and graduating from ESU, Hector realizes he needs employment to properly take care of his sister. Knowing such he ends up working at a small clinic in the Bronx as he continues his war on crime at night as he looks for justice for his parent’s execution under the orders of the corporation. After defeating Animus the year before, the criminal faction seemed to increase its manpower as it hired more specialists to oversee operations and specifically “deal” with White Tiger if he crossed their path. This would put Hector at odds with villains such as Kickback, Constrictor, Kangaroo, and Veil. In-between investigating the obscure criminal activities of the corporation Hector also had to deal with the mundane street crime of his city such as the expansion of the Golden Dragons Triad.

As time teetered on more pieces of the puzzle fell in place due to the investigative skills by Alexander Knox, Nathaniel Byrd, and the White Tiger. However the truth is larger than any of them could expect as the criminal network behind the strife they had been facing is the legitimate business of The Jackson Corporation led by the inner circle of entrepreneur Curtiss Jackson, politician Eugene Stivak, and prodigal scientist Dr. Karlin Malus. Attacking their main facility as Knox prepares an exposé, the White Tiger decides to damage their infrastructure whilst Detective Byrd gathers a warrant for a raid on their “legal” headquarters. The rest becomes history as the influence of The Jackson Corporation is wiped out from The Bronx—however, taking out one criminal faction leaves the borough open for entrance by other more dangerous elements…

The following years proved good for The Bronx as Hector continued to look after it, coming at odds with various criminal factions ranging from the Golden Dragons Triad to smaller groups and gangs. At home, Hector began to instruct his sister in self-defense using his knowledge of martial arts from the amulet as a medium to do so. Unlike other superheroes Hector was always straight with his sister, never hiding his secrets from her—believing that outside of their cousin that they were the only family they had left so by proxy secrets were pointless and toxic. However, in the fall of 2004 all of this would all collapse when the amulet Hector held ultimately costs him his life.

Seeking to progress their goals and believing The Bronx’s vigilante to be in possession with the amulet they have been seeking for years, The Cult of Khan rears its head into the New York borough and attack Hector Ayala at his home as he is eating dinner with his sister. He is killed, much like his predecessor was and states the same chant that he had heard on his first day to preserve the Jade Tiger. Ava Ayala succeeds her brother as the wielder of the Jade Tiger. In the aftermath, guardianship of Ava goes to her cousin- a detective for the NYPD and Bronx native. However, Ava would not forget what she had seen or what she had been gifted with; the retribution of the tiger would be swift. But she would not know in her anger what she had really gotten involved into as the surviving members of the clan who killed her brother report back to their master...

Alexander Knox – A photojournalist in his late thirties, Alexander Knox is an "old approach" investigator who digs for the truth. He has been covering stories in the Bronx for nearly a decade and is seen as an old ally of the White Tiger.

Angela del Toro – After the death of Ava’s parents and brother she has found herself in the care of her cousin, an ex-FBI agent who is currently working for the NYPD.

Detective Nathaniel Byrd – A no-nonsense detective who happened to be the police ally to the first White Tiger.

The Defenders – A to-be group that is beginning to take shape in New York City led by Luke Cage to protect innocent people from the large syndicates and criminal factions growing in the city. Ava will encounter the group very soon.

Prowler – Hobie Brown was reformed by the original White Tiger when the inventor found himself on the wrong end of the law.

Animus – Denise Baranger was an ex-SHIELD agent who operated as head of security for The Jackson Corporation. She came at odds with the first White Tiger when he discovered her attempting to execute a witness to their operations. In the years since she has avoided capture by the police and has found employment as an independent "problem solver".

Black Cat – Secretly Felicia Hardy, The Kingpin's resident thief and occasional problem solver; trained by Taskmaster and in possession of an x-gene that allows subconscious probability manipulation. Will cross paths with Ava eventually.

Cult of Khan – Responsible for the death of her brother, Ava seeks vengeance for their deeds.

Doctor Fang – A member of the Golden Dragons Triad and leader of the branch located in New York City.

The Jackson Corporation – A successful business enterprise headed by Curtiss Jackson based in New York City, the Corporation also served as a criminal epicenter that included narcotic productions centrally located in the Bronx. Initially ruined by cooperation between journalist Alexander Knox and the first White Tiger, Hector Ayala. Most of their territory scooped up by fringe operations by The Kingpin Operation, the Jackson Corporation now exists as a shamble of associates scorned by the White Tiger legacy will do anything to get their revenge.

The Foot – A faction growing in power in New York's criminal vacuum that is likely to cross paths with White Tiger in the near future.

Gideon Mace – A disgruntled military colonel who found a new career as a talented hitman, Gideon Mace was assigned a mission by Curtis Jackson to execute the White Tiger and his family as a message to all interfering superheroes in the syndicates business. Mace was apprehended by the police before he could finish the job, but the White Tiger paid a terrible toll as he lost his parents and found his sister scarred for life by witnessing the near death fiasco.

The Kingpin Syndicate – The Kingpin Syndicate have expanded their territory into the Bronx, putting them at odds with the White Tiger.

The Si-Fan – Led by the mysterious Fu Manchu, the Si-Fan are an obscure threat to White Tiger who very well may seek her amulet of power like so many others in the past.

TBD

K'un-Lun-Daniel Rand-Kai's adopted home, K'un-Lun is an ancient and mythical city whose dimension only overlaps with Earth once every ten years. While legendary for its' martial arts among those who know of its' existence, K'un-Lun is also a place of great mystical and occult importance as it is in truth one of the Seven Cities of Heaven, seven locations that form a nexus for all the world's chi and serve as a mirror to the world itself, collectively known as the Heart of Heaven. K'un-Lun is a place of magic and wonders in many ways. A tree whose fruit grants everlasting life, Immortal Sorcerer-Kings, dragons both great and small and ancient technologies and arcane artifacts lost to mankind for ages are all things residents of K'un-Lun hardly spare a second glance at. However in many other respects K'un-Lun is much like ancient China, especially for the common folks who are not immortal but live much as their ancestors have for untold centuries.

H'ylthri Jungles-When K'un-Lun is not connected to the mortal world, it is often surrounded by dense and wild jungles more vibrant and ravenous than any known on Earth. Apart from numerous strange plants and creatures the primary inhabitants of these jungles are the H'ylthri, a race of sentient plants that are uniformly powerfully telepathic and also capable of creating clones of other sentient beings given enough time. The H'ylthri hate K'un-Lun with a passion and desire it and its' peoples to be swallowed up by the jungles. Danny once spent considerable time stranded in the H'ylthri Jungles due to an accident during his training and described it as the toughest environment he has ever experienced.

Rand Incorporated- a multinational conglomerate headquartered in New York and founded by Danny's father Wendell-Rand'Kai and his business partner Harold Meachum. While Rand Incorporated has subsidiaries involved in a wide variety of businesses including Rand Oil & Chemicals and Rand R&D, Rand Inc's initial focus was on real estate and land development, and as a result the company is said to own more buildings in New York City than any other though that is debatable and many of them are leased to Tony Stark and Norman Osborne respectively. Shipping, Freight and Transportation are also a specialty of Rand Incorporated and it actually holds the patents to and manufactures high-speed and mag-lev bullet trains used for everything from the Tokyo subways to American freight cars. RandMedia is also a well-known branch of Rand Inc, subsidizing cable TV companies, radio stations and newspapers like the Daily Globe and internationally published paper the News Express. Rand Incorporated also began using its' control over advertising, shipping and building-space to break into retail and distribution, with Rand-Mart quickly becoming one of the bigger retail chains in the U.S. It's overseas where Rand Incorporated really makes its' money and image however, as the company has incredibly strong long-standing relationships with business partners in East and Southeast Asia, especially Taiwan, Japan and China. There Rand Incorporated is involved in a wide variety of business ventures and often serves an intermediary role in American markets. It also has a large philanthropic and charitable branch.

The Rand BuildingThe most iconic structure owned by Rand Incorporated, the Rand building is a towering skyscraper that serves as the headquarters and financial heart of the Rand empire. Unbeknownst to most but as revealed by Wendell Rand's notes, A secret sub-basement of the building links into a network of tunnels to other Rand-owned buildings Iron Fist uses to get around the city, along with a vast complex of hidden room curiously labelled 'Orson's' containing: a training area, what appears to be the remains of a Zeppelin and a semi-functioning hi-speed underground railway car.

Allies

Lei-Kung the Thunderer-an Immortal of K'un-Lun and Danny's primary instructor in the martial arts, Lei-Kung trained not only Iron Fist but all the warriors of K'un-Lun past and present and is a martial artist, warrior and leader with thousands upon thousands of years of experience. He was also one of Danny's primary mentors and caretakers from the age of six or seven until he was about sixteen and is one of the closest things Danny has to a father figure.

Yu-Ti the August Personage in Jade/Nu'An-another Immortal and the ruler of K'un-Lun. The current holder of the title Yu-Ti is Nu'An, a powerful sorcerer and mystic who also happens to be Danny's uncle. Nu'an allegedly rules K'un-Lun with benevolent wisdom along with the four Dragon Kings, but he has occasionally shown darker and more pragmatic tendencies though he maintains all that he does is for the good of both K'un-Lun and the mortal world.

Miranda Rand-Kai/Deathsting-Danny's older half-sister born in K'un-Lun, Miranda was secretly trained to be a master of the martial arts by her betrothed despite the laws of the Eternal City unfairly forbidding women from combat roles, and is currently exiled to Earth. after her brother's recent return to the mortal world Miranda has followed him to New York in order to protect him while both tracking down the Cult of Khan on her own and planning her separate vengeance on K'un-Lun for the city's perceived betrayals. She is nearly as skilled in the martial arts as Danny, is possessed of more practical experience and commands the Serpent's Sting, a powerful set of gauntlets that enables her to channel her chi into a strike similar to the Iron Fist.

Joy Meachum-Danny's legal guardian and the current CEO of Rand Incorporated. Joy considers Danny to be the next closest thing to family despite the two of them not having seen each other for well over ten years by now and the two are bonded by the mutual loss of their parents, although Joy remains ignorant of the true cause of her father's death, at least as far as Danny is aware. Under her surprisingly steady guidance Rand Incorporated has only grown and prospered over the last ten years, though it generally avoids directly competing with other massive multinational conglomerates like those belonging to Norman Osborne and Bruce Wayne. Joy herself is surprisingly level-headed and kind and remains one of Danny's most steadfast sources of support despite his difficulties adjusting and the secrets he's keeping from her.

Jeryn Hogarth-Rand Incorporated's chief financial and legal adviser, while Jeryn is no kung-fu expert or crime-fighter by himself, he performs the vital task of running the day-to-day affairs of Rand Incorporated along with Joy Meachum and also providing a sound source of life advice for Danny should the need arise.

Antagonists



Davos/The Steel Serpent-Davos is the natural born son of Lei-Kung the Thunderer and was once friends with Wendell Rand-Kai during their time together in K'un-Lun. However, Davos' pride lead to him challenging the dragon Shou-Lao when doing so was Wendell's right, and his failed attempt at becoming the Iron Fist drove him into both exile and a seething hate for the line of Rand-Kai. Davos has had identical training to Danny plus several additional decades of practical experience to apply it along with none of Danny's restraint. as a result he is more than capable of defeating Iron Fist despite the latter's skill. In addition his incomplete Mark of Shou-Lao also allows him to absorb Danny's Iron Fist chi through a crushing technique, as well as enabling him to literally drain the life force out of others he gets in his death grip. Danny and Davos have fought only once shortly after Iron Fist arrived in New York, and Danny only survived the experience because Davos insisted killing 'an inexperienced child' would taint his revenge.

Chiantang, The Black Dragon-Formerly a dragon who terrified K'un-Lun, Chiantang was defeated by a previous Iron Fist, bound to a human form by K'un-Lun sorcery and banished to Earth ages ago. He has since made a living as the leader of one of New York City's most notable tongs given his ageless nature and supernatural powers. Although Chiantang is powerful and established, within recent decades his organization has become increasingly pushed back by new players including the Kingpin and the Golden Dragons.

The Si-Fan- A ruthless and ancient organization of criminals and feared assassins commanded by international criminal mastermind Fu Manchu. The Si-Fan are primarily connected to Iron Fist through Fu Manchu's insidious and dangerous daughter, Fa Lo Sui otherwise known as the Black Lotus. Fu Manchu himself is unsure of what to think of Danny Rand though he seems to have some knowledge of Danny's father Wendell and is sure that his daughter's interest should warrant interest of his own.

Fa Lo Sui, the Black Lotus-Fu Manchu's daughter and the currently designated heir to his organization, although seemingly young Fa Lo Sui is a skilled martial artist in her own right and more importantly a master of trickery and manipulation, having earned her place among the Si Fan and with it her father's favor.

Fin Fang Foom-An ancient shapeshifting entity that appeared on Earth in China in the form of a massive dragon thousands of years ago, He Whose Limbs Crush Mountains was sealed away when a past Iron Fist came to the mortal world with a magical herb from the Floating Gardens of K'un-Lun capable of casting Fin Fang Foom into a deep slumber. That said, Foom may awaken at any time to wreak havoc upon the world once more and worse yet due to his shapeshifting powers he may walk the human world unseen, waiting to unleash death and destruction for purposes unknown.

The Twelve Brothers in Silk-Twelve brothers and martial arts masters of the highest caliber, each one skilled in a different animal-style of martial art. The Silk Brothers are freelance assassins of great renown and Danny has encountered a few of them in his search through the martial arts underworld.

Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger-A martial artist of world-class skill with affiliations with the League of Assassins, Iron Fist first encountered Ben Turner shortly after arriving in New York. Danny was narrowly able to defeat Bronze Tiger, who has since taken up the idea of trying to recruit the Immortal Weapon to the League of Assassins himself, though Danny has adamantly and violently refused the offer.

The Foot-While Iron Fist tries to stay out of the affairs of ninjas and their ever raging shadow wars the Foot's more overt presence in New York has attracted his attention, as their meddling in the most shadowy aspects of martial arts both offends his sense of honor and reminds him too much of the Cult of Khan. Danny has thus begun investigating the Foot Clan on his own.

Items

The Jade Mirror-A massive mirror of polished jade through which the Yu-Ti can gaze upon all that occurs in numerous dimensions, and also open up portals between them if so desired. Nu-An mainly uses this to watch over Earth, though it is also used when he desires to transport others into or out of K'un-Lun as when Davos and Miranda were banished.

The Anomaly Stone a crystal which contains the souls of every past Iron Fist, the anomaly gem was fragmented into many pieces ages ago, many of which were lost in the mortal world. As they contain the collective power of numerous Iron Fists, even the fragments are energy sources of great power and occasional mystical significance.

Dragonslayer a jian which is the traditional sword of the Immortal Iron Fist, made from a fang of the first incarnation of Shou-Lao and dipped in the beast's own heart, it is forged to resonate with the Chi of Shou-Lao better than any mortal weapon. While the Dragonslayer is locked deep within K'un-Lun, it has been used in the past to defeat and bind Chiantang, slay the Sorceror God Khan and defeat numerous great evils in the past.

Iron Fist was still smiling as he pondered what sort of scenario to set up. It should be something to properly test the Titans stealth skills while being flexible enough to adapt to anything they tried to do or for that matter failed to do. Not to mention he wanted to have a little bit of fun with them first off and make the training memorable for those involved so it didn't come off as too harsh while not fading from anyone's memory any time soon. Eventually he decided on an amalgamation of some of his own experiences would best convey why the necessary skills were so necessary. He moved up to the observation deck and punched in the scenario he had in mind before announcing it over an intercom.

"Let's see. I think you'll all like this one. A little something from my personal file: The Castle of Nightingales."

With that the room began to fade away, replaced by a soaring series of pagodas dappled by soft moonlight. There were even crickets chirping in the background and the soft dripping of water from somewhere, in fact there was very little to indicate anything other than a peaceful night. directly behind Iron Fist a sliding screen door lay open with a vast hallway leading to a set of stairs that in turn lead to another hallway. Occasionally a guard in the sort of clothes that suggested a kabuki stagehand or stereotypical ninja would patrol set routes before turning around again. Interestingly their faces were completely covered, leaving no room even for eye slits. No torches or lighting illuminated the interior either.

"Welcome to the Castle of Nightingales, Titans. Your objective in this scenario is to sneak through this fortification and meet with the informant held captive at the very top of this its' tower. The guards inside are actually blind, but don't let that fool you, they're all highly trained professional killers who are more capable without their eyes than many warriors are with them. Moreover, if you fail to take them out quietly and attract the attention of too many, there's a dangerous surprise waiting for everyone. Work together and remember: the key is to think and move as one with both your environment and your enemies."

It wasn't actually that simple of course. The truth was that the floor was boobytrapped so that if anyone stepped on it carelessly or in the wrong way it would send up a sound like nightingales singing, which attracted the attention of the blind guardsmen. the guardsmen themselves were also actually androids underneath their masked faces and were more resilient to damage than they seemed though in this case he'd set it so a proper stealth attack would take them down easily. That said, he hadn't known those things going in, and the stakes were a lot lower for the teens in his care than they had been for him. As for the surprise, well, it was supposed to be more of a "game over" occurrence, but he was looking forward to seeing how they handled it.

Iron Fist kept himself composed and calm, resisting any impulse to sigh or seem irritated in any way. Amy was young and new to being a superhero, and besides that from what her file and a few briefings had said she had already managed to do a literal world of good despite both of those things. Anger would probably not be the way through to her in any case. She was clearly nervous and felt bad enough about having skipped training, if he lost his head senselessly over something that could be easily made up like this, he'd be doing her no favors as a mentor. Despite attempting to seem detached, he couldn't help but chuckle a little at being called 'Mr.Fist', although he supposed that none of the new kids new his name, nor was he sure about the senior members for that matter.

"Well, in order not to fall behind and potentially put yourself in danger, you'll probably need to make it up to yourself with extra training, either with a group if you can work something out or one-on-one with me or one of the senior Titans, if they're around. I know you're fairly new at working with a team like this and you'd rather be gaming, but unfortunately, regular training's part of being on the team. If you're having any issues adjusting to the training or any other part of the life here, not getting along with your teammates, even plain not wanting to put in the work instead of doing something else, I'm always here to talk it over with you, but I can't do that if you hide away in the Rec Room."

Danny paused and looked at the game Amy had been playing. Rand Industries actually had some subsidiaries involved in video games and this one seemed a little bit familiar...

"That guy on the other end is right you know. If you time things just right you can hit him with the projectile attack while he crouches and starts the low kick but before he can block or finish the attack, since the action leaves him open for more than a few frames. You must always be ready to adapt your strategies to fit your opponent's, no matter how unfair or devious. If you attended my training you might know that."

Luckily he was fully dedicated to understanding every aspect of his business. Let her wonder how someone like him knew that, though.

YES! FINALLY!

It probably wasn't the most tactful thought to have when hitmen burst in on his father's wedding and threatened people with assault rifles, but as fun as it was watching Drake feel even more uncomfortable than himself and insulting him consequence free to the amusement of Gotham's high society, if Damian had to act like an amusing ball of idiotic sunshine for the entire day he would have died. To say nothing of the horrific fallout that would have occurred had the old harpy next to Kate Kane or the woman herself dared to pinch his cheeks.

Unfortunately before he could run off and change to join the fray as Robin or just jumped in undisguised and counted on the chaos to conceal himself Cassandra came sliding down the railing in full combat mode and started rattling off orders and descriptions of the attackers. At the end before charging into the crowd she seemed to single him out specifically with "No one dies." As if he needed reminding not to kill when it was something he'd been practicing every day.

Glad to be free of the need to keep up his pointless 'normal child' disguise he muttered something about getting to a panic room just loud enough to throw off suspicion before preparing to bolt to the nearest hidden entrance to the cave and change into the only 'suit' he actually felt comfortable in. Maneuvering through the crowd was hardly a problem for someone of his size and training and Gordon and his alleged 'police force' would likely see to the evacuation and free the rest of them up to fight the assailants-

Except that one of the hitmen was already holding his gun poised to fire directly into the crowd and a few of the city's wealthiest sheep hadn't had the sense to get out of the way. He probably should've just allowed them to be shot. They were doubtlessly societal parasites like the rest of Gotham's elite and they were no concern of his when there was a fight to be had. But...

"-tt- Fine. No one dies."

Gritting his teeth in frustration Damian quickly altered his path and leaped to tackle the innocent idiots down and out of the gunsel's line of fire, making sure to get as many people clear of the shooter's potential trajectory in the one act as he could before the hitman could open up on them. It might not get him found out, it might just look like a frightened child had gotten turned around in the crowd maybe tripped or panicked, and sent a bunch of socialites sprawling. Provided it didn't get him killed he didn't particularly care, though he could tell it had already earned him a few new bruises. If he didn't die right about then he would disentangle himself from the mess and slip unnoticed into the chaos to make his way down to the cave. Then he would change and beat these attackers to within an inch of their deaths for making him do this.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA
MARCH 21ST, 11:32 AM

It wasn’t right.

It was supposed to be cold in March. It wasn’t cold in Florida.

Greg Saunders sat out on his porch with a pitcher of lemonade, his newspaper and a grimace. While he had to admit the sun’s rays felt nice, warming his leathery old face as they did, they were not particularly welcome. He preferred New York. It was cold, sure, but didn’t that make you look forward to the spring even more?

He was sure it did.

“Hey, Mr. Saunders,” a couple of the neighbourhood kids said as they walked past, carrying makeshift bats and a ball. He waved back to them before turning back to his newspaper. It was the usual story. It was all superheroes and supervillains.

Did anyone still bother to stop the everyday criminal?

Greg looked at his watch and sighed when he noticed it had only been two minutes since he had last looked. He fidgeted some in his chair. A group of middle age women walked by. Or rather, speed walked by. Greg raised an eyebrow and shook his head. What happened to walking to get from A to B?

This used to be the point where his wife told him to stop moaning. To enjoy life. Wasn’t the sun just perfect?

It’s supposed to be cold, he’d say. She’d laugh.

“Hey, Mr. Saunders, I got a special one for you today.” It was the mailman, coming up the lawn. “It’s all the way from China, can you believe that?”
“Thanks, Toby,” Greg replied, accepting the envelope. He looked on the back. It was a familiar scrawl, even if he hadn’t seen it in twenty years. It read ‘Jim Leong’.
He moved to open the letter, when he noticed Toby was still standing there, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“A man’s mail is a private affair, Toby.”
“Oh, of course, Mr. Saunders,” the mailman replied, a little surprised. “Sorry about that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks again, Toby. And don’t worry, I’ll probably tell you all about it then.”
The mailman smiled and waved as he left. Greg nodded, waited till Toby had really moved on and then opened the letter.

When he’d finished it, Greg carefully folded it twice and placed it in his shirt’s front pocket. He got up, took the lemonade pitcher back to the kitchen and threw the paper in the trash. Out of a kitchen drawer, he took a revolver and tucked it in the back of his jeans, under his shirt. He picked up his gloves, his hat and a red bandana, which Greg tied around his neck. He stepped outside and closed the door of his house behind him. When he’d put the key under his doormat, he turned to face the sun.



Then he started walking.

Mission Hill
4:11 AM

Tracy Lawless cracked his knuckles and settled back into the seat of his car. Six hours into the stakeout and he began to settle in for a long haul. The house he was sitting on was a dump, a scorched husk of a building that someone torched years ago. It was the perfect place for squatters and people trying to lay low. Tracy had James Bagotti to thank for leading him here. Bagotti aka Jimmy Bags, capo to Mark Phlio and one of the many cogs in the Hyde organization, ran a dozen bookie shops around the outer boroughs. Tracy spent three days boning up on Jimmy Bags through his contacts, following the man and his family as they went about their day to day tasks.

Bagotti's bio read like a million others who joined the lief. He was old school Maggia, joined the outfit when he was still a teenager. Purse snatching led to strongarm robberies which led to hijacking and running numbers. Sixty years old and Bagotti had climbed as far on the criminal ladder as far as he could. To some that would mark Jimmy Bags as a suspect for the robberies. He couldn't get past old man Silvermane, so he was letting his own joints get heisted and he was splitting the money. He got paid and it was a way to rub s*** in the old man's eye.

The clues that tipped Tracy off to the real culprit were long sleeves and itchy arms. Bagotti's youngest son, Carlo, still lived with his folks at the age of thirty. Tracy watched him coming and going the past few days. He always wore a long sleeve shirt and always picked at his arms when he walked down the street. It took Tracy all of ten minutes to peg Carlo as a junkie, the sleeves hiding the track marks that itched so bad when the kid needed a fix. He followed Carlo to a shooting gallery down near the waterfront. From there Tracy followed the guy Carlo copped from which led him to a stash house in Bed-Stuy. A small pack of four dealers worked out of the house. Four dealers, a four man crew ripping off bookie spots, a weak junkie whose father ran the bookmaking shops, a junkie could give them information for a fix.

He waited until nearly five in the morning before he made his move. Tracy slipped on a pair of surgical gloves and carried a Glock with a supressor attached to the end under his coat. He looped around the back of the building and came through a broken window, slow and quietly. Tracy pulled the gun out along with a flashlight covered in tape, emitting only a pin-sized light to use as a guide. He held his nose when he passed by three buckets that had been used as latrine. It took him ten minutes to find their stash tucked away in a baseboard near the fireplace. Tracy found nearly a hundred grand in crisp twenty dollar bills inside a satchel, not the type of money junkies handed over for horse. No, this was the type of money Jimmy's places carried before a big payout was coming. In addition to the cash, he found a half pound of uncut H and four machine pistols. Tracy tucked the money, dope, and guns into the satchel and swung it over his shoulder.

Tracy slowly glided up the rickety stairs like a ghost. Muscle memory kicked in when he reached the landing where the crew was sleeping. Check the corners, clear the rooms, plan your escape, kill as soon as you have eyes on the target. Flashbacks went through his mind, killing a Bosnian national in the 90's with a sniper rifle, garroting an Al-Qaeda cutout in Iraq. He was a Lawless, he had killing in his blood, but it was Uncle Sam who polished him and made him into a sparkly diamond of murderous potential.

The four guys were passed out on piss-stained mattresses. Tracy kept the flashlight beam low and aimed. Recoil shot up his elbow as he fired off four quick shots. The rounds hissed through the room, four bullets exploding the four men's heads. He fired off four more to each man's heart to be sure he was dead before calmly walking out into the early morning air. Tracy tucked the gun into his coat and climbed into the car, driving six blocks away before burying the gun and his gloves in the trashcan.

Park Slope
10:11 AM

"Who the fuck are you?"

Jimmy Bags sized Tracy up like a piece of meat. Tracy stood on his doorstep, impassively meeting the mobster's gaze.

"I'm Lawless. You know who I am, who I work for. Let's take a ride."

The look of recognition filled Jimmy Bag's eyes, quickly followed by fear. He knew what Tracy did, and why he was visiting him like this.

"Oh, God... Please--"

"If I was going to kill you you'd be dead already," Tracy said with slight annoyance. "Let's take a ride."

Thirty minutes later Tracy and Jimmy Bags were sitting in Tracy's car, parked outside a coffee shop ten blocks away from his home. Tracy retold the story, the guys robbing Jimmy's shops, following the trail and killing the four men, and of course Jimmy's own son.

"Look... I know Carlo has had problems, and me and my wife we've tried to help him... but... you..."

"You know who I work for," Tracy said with a cool tone. "I'm offering you the chance to do it on your son's terms. Hyde will hold you and your family responsible for this theft. If he has his way, I'm gonna come back to your house with four more guys and we'll chop your entire family to pieces."

Jimmy Bags slumped forward in the seat and began to shake as he sobbed. Tracy ignored him and instead pulled a covered syringe from his coat pocket.

"This spike is loaded up with pure heroin. I don't care if your boy is goddamn Layne Staley reincarnated, this much pure H will kill him. It's either the OD or that other option I mentioned. Either give it to him or inject him tonight when he's asleep, but he does not live to see tomorrow."

Tracy slipped the syringe into Jimmy Bag's jacket while the man continued to cry. He felt a stab of remorse and something else much more powerful. Tracy realized it was envy. If Teeg Lawless would have been faced with this same dilemma, he knew Teeg would not hesitate to sacrifice his sons to save his own ass.

Jimmy Bags went back home somber and quiet. They rode in silence, the only time Jimmy acknowledge Tracy at all was a short nod to him as he got out the car and went into his house. For an old soldier like Jimmy, the nod was final acceptance to do what needed to be done. Tracy texted Stein that the job was completed. He told the lawyer to notify the Kingpin to check the papers and he'd find five deaths in Brooklyn all within the same day of each other, a quadruple homicide and one OD. The lawyer texted back his appreciation and told Tracy where to drop off the cash and drugs he had recovered. The money for the job would be waiting for him when he arrived home that night.

Tracy started up his car and headed back home. It wouldn't be long before he got another text with another job and another person who needed to be hurt. Tracy hated himself, not because he was becoming his old man, but because he had become his old man. He glanced up in the car's rearview mirror and wasn't entirely sure who it was he saw staring back at him.

Tracy Lawless was mad as hell.

He drove down the freeway in the middle of the night, checking his rearview mirror every few seconds for any new cars that may have appeared behind him. He saw the two big duffle bags in the mirror, each one stuffed to the brim with cash. Tracy wore a coat that hid the body armor strapped to his chest. Dried blood was caked on his hands. It wasn't his blood. He fumed and kept the hunk of junk he was driving at seventy. His Charger was back in the city. It was too conspicuous to be used as a getaway car today.

The radio in the car played some god awful country music. He reached over and cruised up and down the dial until he found a talk radio show giving the news.

"One man is still at large after today's daring daytime bank robbery of the 5th Avenue Chase Bank. Masked and armed with automatic weapons, the five men came in during the lunchtime hour and made off with over nine hundred thousand dollars in twenties, fifties, and hundreds. Police soon arrived on the scene and gun battle took place, killing four of the robbers before the fifth masked man took off with the money through midtown, where he lost pursuing police in a high-speed chase."

Tracy listened to the rest of the news story with half-concentration. There were no leads on his whereabouts, and so far they hadn't publically identified the rest of his crew. Everyone but him was dead, gunned down by the cops. One of them blew Jack Legs' brains out before the guy could even move. Blood had spattered Tracy's chest and arms. They showed up way too fast for Tracy's taste. They were promised more time to get the money and get out there, but they didn't get that time. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. Tommy the Cork. Goddamn Tommy the Cork had sold them out, the son of a bitch. He'd given his word they would have at least five minutes before the police arrived. The fat bastard must have gotten greedy and double-crossed them. The odds on Tommy being there at the farmhouse waiting was too unlikely. Tracy was the only one left alive and he had the money. He was too big of a loose end, and no way cops would be there for an arrest. Tommy wanted that money all to himself.

An hour later he turned off the freeway and headed down a Southern Jersey highway towards the established rendezvous point. He could just keep going. He had the money, for Christ sake. But he didn't want to do that. He wanted to pay Tommy back for what he had done, the bastard.

Tracy started to slow the junk heap down as the farmhouse got nearer. The time for the meeting was supposed to be four AM, an hour from now, but he was sure Tommy was already hiding somewhere in the dilapidated barn. Tracy pulled to the side of the road twenty miles from the farm and got out. He lugged the two duffle bags filled with cash into the woods beside the road and left them there. He got a tire iron out of the trunk and placed it in the ground beside the highway, marking the place for his return trip, and got back in the car. A half hour later he came to an old and rotting farmhouse and barn. He pulled into the driveway and slowly pulled up to the old barn.

A parked sedan was waiting beside the barn. The windows were rolled down, and Tracy could hear a golden oldies station playing Tommy James and the Shondells. Tracy reached into his jacket and got out the submachine gun he'd used at the bank. Keeping it low, he stepped out the car and approached the parked car.

"Not so fast," a voice said from behind.

He felt a hard something in his back. A pudgy hand slapped the submachine gun from his hand and spun Tracy around. He looked into the fat and gloating face of CCPD Inspector Thomas Corcoran, head of the department's prestigious Special Robbery Unit. He was also supposed to be their inside man in the bank robbery. His job was to get them plans and details about the bank and surrounding area and provide them protection from the cops. He had done the first part well, but failed spectacularly in the second regard.

"You sold us out," Tracy said calmly.

"I just did some simple math," Corcoran said with a large grin. "This money divides up better one way than six. That is, after I give Hyde his cut."

"And you'll think he'll just abide you double-crossing us like this?"

"I'll tell him you pulled the double-cross. Tried to skip out with the money after it went sideways. I caught you in the nick of time, though, but see you fought back and I had to kill you. Damn shame. It's a stupid move, but you're a Lawless, kid. Stupid is your middle name."

Tracy felt white-hot rage at the last part. It was all he could do right now to not try to fight Corcoran, even with the gun aimed at him. Instead, Tracy kept his hands up as Corcoran backed away from him and shuffled towards the junk heap. Tracy stayed as still as he could while the fat man looked through the back of the car for the cash.

"Where is it, Lawless?!"

"In the trunk. I got the key right here."

Corcoran stared at him through the dark and started towards him. Just then, Frank Sinatra came on the radio and crooned.

"Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wondering in the night what were the chances,
We'd be sharing love before the night was through?"

Corcoran began to rifle through Tracy's jacket pockets and found no keys. The cop started in through Tracy's pants pockets. He dropped the gun a few inches, focusing on getting the car keys from Tracy's jeans.

"Something in your eyes was so inviting
Something in you smile was so exciting
Something in my heart told me I must have you."

Snarling like a wild animal, Tracy struck and slapped at Corocran's gun. The piece went off twice, bullets snapping by Tracy's ear as they whizzed into the air. The gun fell to the ground with a dull thud. Corcoran tried to reach for it, but he was short and fat, a good six inches shorter and fifty pounds heavier than Tracy. He proved no match for Tracy's strong grip. He hit the cop upside the head with a glancing blow to the skull. Corcoran stumbled back and Tracy hit him with a right hook that knocked him to the ground. Tracy pinned him to the ground with his knees and held him close, his big hands wrapping around Tommy's fat neck.

"Strangers in the night, two lonely people
We were strangers in the night.
Up to the moment when we said our first hello, little did we know
Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away"

Tommy fought and tried to get his hands underneath Tracy's. He struggled and thrashed, tried to claw at Tracy's eyes and mouth. The more he struggled, the more oxygen he burned through and made his death that quicker. Tracy throttled Corcoran's neck for a solid ten minutes, so long that he left rub burns from twisting his big hands around the windpipe. He made sure that there was no life left in the man at all. For what the bastard had done to his crew, it was the least he could do.

"Ever since that night we've been together
Lovers at first sight, in love forever
It turned out so right for strangers in the night."

Tracy took Corcoran's corpse and locked it in the trunk of his car, parking the sedan inside the rotten barn before he got into his own car and drove back to where he had the money stashed. He got the two big duffle bags out the woods, took the tire iron marker, and kept going south so he could find a place to lay low for the next few weeks.

To look at Sebastian Hyde's office, you would think he was a college professor or some well to do businessman instead of the kingpin of Center City. There were books, shelves and shelves of books on the three office walls. The lone wall not loaded down with books was an entire long pane of glass that stretched across the wall in a window that gave off a pretty impressive view of Center City. The books were all random as hell. Everything from Gibbon's six part series on the history of Rome, to Danielle Steel. Tracy doubted very much that Hyde had even cracked open one of those books.in his library. The man didn't care about books, and he didn't care about his impressive view. The books and window were all a show to anyone who came into the office. It was projecting power. Look at how many nice things I have, look at the entire town that I sit above like a king. All of that boiled down to a simple message: Don't fuck with me.

"Tracy," Hyde said as he came in.

Tracy stood and wordlessly greeted the old man as he walked towards his desk. Hyde wasn't in his usual three-piece, but he still wore dark slacks and a collared shirt. Tracy remained standing until Hyde sat down behind the desk.

"It's late, let's cut the bullshit, son. Do you know Thomas Flynn?"

"Rings a bell. Does he owe you money?"

"No, unfortunately not. Flynn owns a good deal of the industrial park here in town. Supposed to be worth half a billion. He keeps his nose mostly clean, as clean as anyone worth that kind of money can be. He apparently has done something rather bad because he's being blackmailed. He wants to keep it under wraps, so he decided to come to me instead of the cops. He wants to pay me a good deal of money to make the blackmailer disappear. I'll cut you twenty percent of what he gives me and you make this asshole deader than the goddamn steak I had for dinner."

Hyde working for money didn't jive true to Tracy. He had more than enough money than he or his kids would ever spend. But what was left unsaid Tracy knew all too well. Flynn was asking Sebastian Hyde for a favor. All it took was for Hyde to get his foot into the door and he owned you. As bad as any blackmail could be, what Hyde could do would be ten times worse. For Hyde to get in good with a man like Flynn would give him something much more valuable than money. Flynn got your connections, contracts, businessmen, and politicians. Influence, a half a billion dollar's worth of influence Hyde could call on.

"What if I find out what he's being blackmailed for?"

The old man's eyes lit up and his eyebrows arched as he smiled.

"Go ahead and send that my way. Always good to have some insurance. Good luck, son."

Tracy nodded and stood, heading towards the door. He hated when Hyde called him son. he made a mental note that when he got his revenge on the old prick, he would hit him int he balls for every time the old man had called him son. After tonight, Tracy's count was up to 219.

Door pounding woke Sam up. The hangover pounding his temples was even worse. He reached across the bed to find a bottle that wasn't empty. No dice. He stumbled through empty bottles and crushed cans towards the front door. He still wore last night's clothes: an unknotted tie and rumpled shirt with pants that had just a hint of puke on them.

"Samuel Bennett?"

Two men at the door. Meatheads in black Armani suits and Ray-Bans. Très goon chic. Sam cut odds he could take them. Sucker's bet. Instead, he nodded and lit up a smoke.

"The same Samuel Bennett of Samuel Bennett Investigations?"

Sam blew smoke rings. "The one and the same."

"We need you to come with us, Mr. Bennett."

Sam cleaned his nails and yawned. "Why is it these things always start with two dickheads in suits wanting me to come with them?"

One of them meatheads cracked his knuckles. The other popped his neck. Flexing and posturing were punk moves. Sam knew the way to scare a man wasn't by cracking your knuckles. It was by cracking his bones. He laughed and shook his head.

"If you two gorillas can get me a stiff drink then I'll go wherever you want me to go."

--

Sam sipped Thunderbird out of a paper bag covered bottle. The T-Bird was cut-rate, but there was enough booze to stop the headache. He sat in a study filled with books. Sam thought of a book he read in school once, it had a rich guy and a big study filled with books that were never read. He stared hard at a liquor cabinet in one corner. The sight made his mouth water. Scotch, high-grade grain alcohol. The real deal. It put his T-Bird to shame.

"Mr. Bennett."

An old man shuffled in. Stooped shoulders and wrinkled skin and blue veins and white hair. Thick glasses made his eyes look huge. He wheezed and collapsed onto a chair beside Sam.

"James Doheny, at your service."

The name clicked. Doheny Oil. One of the titans of industry in the city. Nix on that, a former titan of industry. Somebody bought the old company out years ago.

"What's so urgent that you need to get me up at the crack of dawn--"

"--It's three in the afternoon, sir--"

"--And force me here to talk?"

Doheny wheezed. His face was coronary red. Sam felt heat from his body. He radiated bad health.

"You're a hard man to get in touch with, Mr. Bennett. I've been calling your number for the past three days."

Sam swigged the T-Bird and shrugged. "I've got problems with bill collectors. I don't want them to know I'm home."

"You're speaking of the ruthless looking Russians my men saw stop by your apartment building repeatedly over the past two days?"

"The people I owe money to have... aggressive debt collection tactics."

"Indeed," the old man wheezed. "Which is why you should be eager for employment opportunities."

Sam chugged the rest of the T-Bird and wiped booze from his mouth. The cut-rate warmed his chest and worked its way upward until he got that familiar fuzziness back into his brain. The buzzed state of existence he called life for the past twelve years.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Doheny, that the two pet gorillas that brought me here can't?"

"You have a reputation for finding the dark places in this city not many others can. I'm afraid my two bodyguards are only adept at making people hurt. I need someone of your affections."

"Affectations" equaled stumblebum drunk that fits in better than meatheads in designer threads.

"What's the job?"

The old man pushed his glasses up his nose with shaky hands and wheezed.

"My granddaughter. She's... she's my daughter, you might say. I raised her from a pup and now she... betrayed me. She's out there, messing with a boy she shouldn't be. She's been constantly sneaking out of the house over the months, but it's been nearly three days since I last saw her. The longest she's ever been gone. She's over the age where I can issue an amber alert, and the cops they tell me they can't intervene because she wasn't kidnaped."

The old man shook in something that seemed half sob and wheeze.

"I have all this money, but nothing I can do with it. Back in the day, I could snap my fingers and the mayor himself would be here to wipe my ass. The friends and connections I once had... and now..."

Sam inferred: "All I can rate these days is a single smokehound former cop who makes for a shit PI."

Sam felt kinship with the geezer. Doheny was a used up, wrinkled husk that was soon to board the night train to the big adios. He looked on the outside like Slam felt on the inside. Sam cut odds he would live as long as Doheny. He gave up and set odds he could make it to fifty. Both slanted as too high odds. Instead, he tucked the empty bottle of T-Bird into his jacket and pulled out the pen and pad he kept on him.

"Tell me everything about your granddaughter that may help me find her."

--

Sam sat in his heap and cruised a booze brainwave. Hell loomed outside. Skid Row: The bottom of the barrel in this city. Considering this city, that was saying a whole hell of a lot. This was his beat back during his days in patrol. It was hard work, lots of scraping and fighting. One time he knocked a rape-o shitbird's teeth out with a nightstick when he tried to fight back. It was good work. He went home at the end of his shift feeling like he actually accomplished something. But that was a lifetime ago. Budget cuts and targeted policing meant no cop cars prowled consistently. They were too busy protecting the fine, upstanding citizens of the city who actually paid taxes.

Here homeless families squatted side by side with homeless drunks. Meth head hookers walked the streets with scabbed faces and reeking of desperation. Sam saw hookers with the Bug prowling for work, not giving a fuck if they killed the men they screwed. Sam saw junkies shooting up on the steps of a Catholic church. Sam saw a little girl way too skinny to even be malnourished. She had to have the Bug. His jaw got tight and he gulped his gin. He watched the lowest of the low sauntering around like they owned the place. Maybe they did. Maybe it was better to rule in hell here than to serve in the Burbs. Some social welfare people and nuns came by, tossing out clean needles and rubbers. Everyone whooped. A drunk slapped a volunteer's ass and asked if they had a pint of Ripple they could give them. Beleaguered nuns did the sign of the cross. Winos did the watusi. Smokehounds did the shimmy shake. Junkies did Irish jigs. Sam figured two years. At least two years until Sam was right there on Skid row cutting a rug with the junkies and doing the chorus line shtick with the hookers and drunks, five at the most.

He finished off the flask of hooch and got out the heap. He was fresh meat to them. Panhandlers panhandled, junkies made vague threats for money, hookers pawed and promised carnal delights of the sort he'd never had. He stopped in the street and lit up a smoke. He cocked a finger towards an alley and got wide-eyed

"Oh, shit! It's the cops! Everybody run!"

The roaches scattered in the light of righteous justice and beaucoup beatdowns. Sam laughed and walked unmolested towards a dilapidated building. A dirty, sagging sign above the door said The Ferguson Arms. The hotel was the last known address of Bianca Doheny, twenty-six, heiress to the Doheny Oil Fortune. Fortune should come with air quotes, thought Sam. The old man's house was just as rundown as this flophouse. Sam had two G's in his jacket pocket for the job. Good enough for him, but chickenshit pay for one of the big PI agencies in town. In Sam's world two grand may as well have been two mil. Gramps said he thought Bianca had a shack job with a guy. A tall kid with sandy blonde hair was with her the last time she breezed through the house.

He flashed his PI license at the clerk fast enough that he made him think it was an actual badge. The fat man looked up from his stroke book (XXX Girls of the Midwest 69) and squinted through thick, crust stained eyeglasses at Sam. He showed a photo of the girl. The pic was from a few years back when she graduated at SCU. Doheny said it was current enough.

"Seen her?"

He slid the clerk a C-note to get the wheels greasing. He squinted harder at the pic before nodding.

"I think that's her. Jesus, that's what she used to look like? She's checked into 2C. Long-term tenant. Haven't seen her in a few days.

"Seen her with a guy? A big, tall guy with sandy blonde hair."

"I seen guys. Lots of 'em, mister," he snickered. "Day and night they come in and out for her. I might be one of those lucky few thanks to you. Tell you what, you give me another Ben Franklin and I give you the key to her room."

Sam resisted the urge to turn his face into bloody pulp. He blew smoke before he shelled out fifty bucks and passed it across the counter.

"Ben's out for the day, but maybe you can do business with the Jackson Twins and Alexander Hamilton?"

He glommed the cash and produced a key. Sam palmed it and headed up rickety stairs. He padded down carpets stained with blood, puke, and cum. Old Man Doheny said she got a solid three grand allowance from her trust fund. Why the flop when she at least had enough money to clock a HoJo's?

2C was a dump like the rest of the hotel, like the rest of the whole goddamn neighborhood. Dirty sheets, old pizza boxes, a makeup bag with garish eyeshadows and bright lipsticks, a medicine bag with junkie works, unopened rubbers and used ones, sex toys, a mirror with traces of coke lines. Sam suddenly knew why she sprung for the cheap and rundown no-tell motel. He found something scribbled on a pizza box. VIKKI - PLASIADES DELIGHT, and then a phone number. He wrote it down in a notebook and rummaged through the filth.

The only thing Sam couldn't find was definitive proof of a guy shacked up with her. The geezer said she bolted with a boy. The clerk said she had lots of men coming in and out. Bianca was hooking? Why? Had her drug habit gotten bad enough that three grand a month couldn't support it? Or was it just part of the aesthetic of the neighborhood? A rich girl slumming and playing street walker. Buy a room in a flop, sell your body, and shoot up morning til night. Très Slum Chic. All the bored rich kids were doing it.

Sam pulled the photo of her out of his jacket. Young, big smile and lots of pretty white teeth. Dark hair and a cute little nose. Full of promise with just a glint in one of those eyes Sam knew all too well was hope.

The Clerk: Jesus, that's what she used to look like?

If she'd changed at all, Sam knew that glint in her eyes was long gone. Somewhere between college and the Ferguson Arms it had been snuffed out and ground to powder in that cruel and ignoble way only life is capable of. His cell phone buzzed. He didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway.

"Mr. Bennett, it' s James Doheny. A note just arrived at the house. It seems to be a ransom note. I need you here as soon as possible, sir."

--

Sam swung by his pad on the way to Doheny's. He sat in a chair, slugged gin straight from the bottle, and worked angles.

FEATURE: Bianca rejects her grandad and does blow, Bianca shoots horse, Bianca turns tricks on the streets. Bianca has a trust-fund. Sam inferred: The hooking is pure thrill seeking. A middle finger in the face of the old man. Now the plot thickened an hour ago when a ransom note showed up at the Doheny house.

He got his .38 snub out of a locked drawer. If the kidnapping was on the level, things might get rough and he'd need the piece. Sam slipped it into a shoulder rig and slipped the rig on under his coat. He pocketed the gin after a few more slugs from the bottle. The hooch hit his throat and sent buzzes through his brain. Booze clicks clicked his brain into working order. Something gnawed at him. The gin amplified the gnawing. Bianca Doheny's mom, the old man's daughter, was out of the picture. Sam asked the old man for the dope.

Doheny: "She ran away some years ago and never came back."

The answer didn't jake with Sam. His response was too quick and dismissive. He pressed for more details and got the short shrift. Doheny said, "Do your job and find this one." He left it at that but didn't have to like it. A few more plugs of hooch to work up the nerve before he flopped on the couch and called up the number he wanted.

"City Desk, Agee."

Arthur Agee, city news editor for the Gazette. A lifetime ago, Agee was on the cop beat hungry for copy and Sam was a young Homicide detective looking for press. A match made in heaven that came to an abrupt end when Sam got the boot from the PD.

"Artie, it's Sam Bennett."

"Sam?! Boychick, long time no speak. How the hell are ya?"

Artie was all mick but still liked talking like a Jew. He could spit Yiddish like the old country Jews in Baston Beach.

"I'm fine, Artie. Making ends meet."

"I heard you were a private dick now. Meet any sexy femme fatales yet?"

Sam thought about the crack whore from last week. She had only three teeth and could trip on her tits if she walked too fast.

"Oh, yeah. The sexiest."

"You'll have to tell me about it."

Sam tipped the bottle back again. Somehow it had gone from full to half empty faster than he thought it was supposed to.

"I will," he said. "But for now I need some help on a job."

"Gimme the spiel, Sammy. What do you need?"

"James Doheny, you know him?"

"Yeah, rich oil guy back when this city still had oil. Owns all those rusty oil derricks south of town. That's why they still call that part of town Crude City."

"Could you comb through your paper's archives and see what you can dig up on him and his family, especially his daughter."

"Interesting. Anything you can tell me about this job?"

"Just that if it ends up being story-worthy you'll be the first one I call."

"Promises, promises, Sammy. I'll hold you to that. What number can I reach you at?"

"I'm on my cell, let me give you the number."

Sam gave Artie his phone number and hung up. He sucked the gin until a quarter of it was left in the bottle. Properly buzzed, he headed out to James Doheny's house.

--

Sam walked into the big house. The two heavies from before stood in the hallway, all big muscles and hard stares. They eyeballed him with attitude. He winked and made kissy faces. They full on fumed. He passed on by and went into the study. Doheny sat in a chair facing the door. His pasty was face coronary red edging on purple. The old man shook a piece of paper at Sam and flew spittle as he talked.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

"I had to pick up some things from my apartment."

"You goddamn drunk goldbrick, you better not be conning me."

Sam cut his eyes. "You keep talking like that I'm apt to leave and let you deal with this on your own."

Doheny scowled and tossed Sam the paper. A ransom note straight out of a movie. Cut out letters pasted to form sentences:

We HavE the giRL. 4 MILLion doLLars 2 see hER ALIVE again oUr pHone CAll wITh instRucTIons will BE sOOn

NO COPS!

Sam passed it back before lighting up a smoke. Doheny scowled again and waved smoke from his face. He took the hint. He stubbed the cigarette out and asked Doheny questions.

"How did it arrive?"

"One of my men found it at the front door. The doorbell rang and he did not see anyone nearby when he answered it. He brought it in and I called you after I read it."

"That was an hour ago?"

"Yes."

Sam reread the message and brooded. A real cop would dust the message for prints. A hunch gnawed at him worse than the mom angle. The hunch: Bianca Doheny's fingerprints would be all over that ransom note. A scent was coming from this whole job. It was the whiff of bullshit.

"Mr. Doheny, sir."

One of the gorillas sauntered in with a cordless telephone.

"I think it's them."

Doheny snapped for the phone. Sam skittered out the room and down the hall. A second phone sat on the wall. He slowly picked it up and listened in.

Dohney: "Hello? This is James Doheny, who am I speaking to."

THEM: "Peter. Peter Cottontail. Hopping down the bunny trail--"

The voice sounded hard. Too hard, thought Sam. Like the note, it was a Hollywood production of what a kidnapper would sound like. Peter Cottontail put on his best Jimmy Cagney and fronted for the old man. Someone watched too many movies. They thought fiction was real-life.

"Do you have my granddaughter?"

"Sure do, old man. It's up to you if you ever see her alive again. You got our note, can you swing the ransom money?"

"It will be a chore, but I can do that."

"Good. We'll do the handoff tomorrow night at nine. The place is gonna be the north shore, near the ferris wheel. Got it?"

"I'll be there if you can give me proof of life."

"Hold on a sec..."

"Poppa?!"

Bianca Doheny's voice sounded more like out of breath than genuinely scared to Slam. The old man ate it up. The old man gasped. He went on the verge of weeping.

"Bibi, baby! Don't worry. Everything is going--"

"Tomorrow night at nine, geezer. Remember no coppers. We get a hint of flatfoots and we'll kill her."

The line went dead. Doheny hung up. Sam read the caller ID. BLOCKED. No surprise there. He went back into the study. Doheny wheezed loudly. He was teared up and gasping for breath.

"Can you get the money by tomorrow night?" Sam asked.

"I can-- I can have it by tonight if necessary."

"Get it ready for the time stipulated. I'm going to spend tonight chasing leads and I'll be back first thing in the morning."

Doheny protested, but Sam was out the door before the old man or his goons could get a paw on him.

He drove six blocks straight before stopping in a parking lot and pulling his phone out. He lit up a cig and inhaled it deeply. He blew smoke and plotted steps. Sam pulled a battered notepad from his jacket and flipped through the pages of personal information and access codes. Jake Holstead? No. he was too high profile to use. Baxter Miller? No. Miller would have changed his passcode by now, the paranoid bastard. Nevermind that Sam was about to justify his paranoia. Cris Aiken? No. He was probably a captain by now with a different badge. Jackie Fields? Yes. A hump who kept his passcode his kids' birthday, no way he'd change jobs or codes. Sam flicked his cigarette butt out the window and dialed City Tel.

"City Telecommunications Police Line, how may I help you?"

"I need to get the number and location of a phone line that just placed an incoming call in the Dutch Hill neighborhood. I also need a location on an unlisted phone line."

"Yessir. I need your name, rank, badge number, and police access code."

"Sure," Sam said, flipping to Jackie Fields' page.

"John Fields, detective second class, badge number 01257, and my access code is 840221505."

Key strokes. A few seconds silence and then, "... Okay, Detective Fields. What was the first number?"

Sam rattled off Doheny's phone number. A few quick keystrokes later and the operator had the phone traced to a downtown payphone. She gave Sam the address and he scribbled it down.

"And that second number, Detective?"

Sam filled through pages until he found it. The information he glommed from Bianca's flop. Vikki - Palisades Delight. Beneath it the phone number. He gave her the phone number and waited a few seconds. Another downtown address. The address just two blocks away from the pay phone. Sam thanked her and hung up. He killed the bottle of gin and looked at the note. Palisades Delight. The name sounded like an escort service. Vikki had to be a madam. The skin trade. When it came to whores and porn, there was only one man he knew who would be in the know.

The Mighty Thor.

--

He had blond hair and clear blue eyes. Heavyset. That line that blurred between normal and fat. The extra weight threw off the resemblance, but otherwise he was a dead ringer for the guy who played Thor. To hear him tell it the extra weight came from having to carry around that thing between his legs. He called it Mjölnir, and he said only the worthy could handle it. He ran a gigolo service out of the eastside. Old ladies, fat ladies, lonely ladies, the occasional man, all kinds of freaks flocked to him. Who wouldn't pay a grand an hour to be reamed, steamed, and dry cleaned by the one and only Mighty Thor?

"I know Palisades Delight."

Sam watched him from across the diner table. Thor was a good informant, the few ones he had left from his cop days. The only problem was he charged Sam for information like he was a john. Sam supposed he was, just in a very different way than the usual clientele.

"Call-girls, high-end stuff. I'm talking a few grand per hour. I've worked with them before on... things."

"What things?"

Thor got cagey and looked at his tuna melt. Sam scowled and forked over a C-note.

"Extortion," he said without making eye contact. Whores never made eye contact when they did their work. "The rooms they use are set up with cameras. They blackmail businessmen and anyone else they can afford to squeeze. I was in on a few of the squeezes, lot of right-wing congressmen and councilmen who are in the closet. Let's see how much those bible thumping fucks will support them when they see the good congressman with his lips wrapped around Mjölnir."

Hookers and extortion. Sam flashed back to his last days on the force. A dead call-girl consumed him and the burnout that was slowly building became a raging inferno. He got fired, he punched the Homicide CO, he went on a fantastic bender. He curled up into a bottle. He still called the bottle home.

"Thanks for the time, Thor."

Sam stood up and passed him another C-note before heading out into the night. A little under twenty-four hours before the ransom. Sam cut odds on the whole kidnapping being bullshit. No bookie in the world would take the odds he made. The truth, whatever it was, rested with the call girls and whoever Vikki was. And he was going to find out what that truth was.

--

Dreams played on a reel:

His hands covered in blood. Old Man Doheny cut donuts in a wheelchair. He flipped Sam off and said get to work, shirtbird. A mound of naked bodies, wriggling and writhing in a huge orgy. Men doing women, women doing women, men doing men. Big Band music played. Bianca Doheny doing a pirouette. She was naked. She had her face and a pornstar's stacked body. Doheny's two goons waltz hand in hand. Sam did a tap dance. He tapped in the dark. A gun barrel sighted on him. He tapped out and tried to snatch it. The gun went off.

Sam snapped awake. He was covered in sweat. Dream sweat and heat sweat. A bottle of gin in his lap. He sat in his heap downtown. A booze brownout while watching an office building. Palisades Delight sat on the office's sixth floor. Hour three of the stakeout. Straight boring, as expected. No wonder he nodded off. He took three slugs of gin to stabilize himself and got out the car. He straightened his tie, primped in the car window to look presentable. He went through the lobby and to the elevator. Up to floor six. Open on: a receptionist with a wide smile. Cute, girl next door look. She did not scream WHORE like he expected.

"Hello, sir. Welcome to Palisades Delight. What can I help you with?"

Sam said, "I'm here to see Vikki."

The receptionist's eyes flashed. He saw something he didn't like. Her smile went from natural to too wide. Call it a put-on to play it cool.

"I'll send her right out."

She grabbed a phone. She talked hush-hush on the phone. Sam caught whispers. Sam caught "Don't know who." Sam caught "Shabby." Sam caught "Cop."

A minute later a zaftig woman pranced out into the lobby. Fortyish brunette with an updo and streaks of gray through it. Pleasant face. She did not look like a hooker or ex-hooker. She jived more office worker or school marm.

She smiled at Sam and said, "Hello, sir. I'm Victoria Harper, May I see some ID please?"

He showed her his PI card. Slow this time. He did not want her thinking cop and get spooked. She looked at it, looked at him, and nodded.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Bennett?"

Sam flashed Bianca Doheny's pic. Her face stonewalled. Her eyes gave her away. They flashed recognition, only for a second but enough for Sam to catch. She acted like she was thinking before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen her."

"You sure, Ms. Harper? I've been told she looks different than she does in this photo. I found your name and this place's number in her apartment. Her name is Bianca Doheny. Does that name sound familiar to you?"

"I'm afraid not. What we do here--" She gave Sam a knowing smirk. "--We have a lot of girls getting referenced for work. I can't tell you how many girls I've spoken to on the phone or talked to in person since last week."

"What about a tall, lanky guy with sandy blonde hair. Seen anybody like that hanging around here?"

Another flash in her eyes. Fright mixed with annoyance. Warm. Sam was getting there.

"Certainly not. All our employees are female, even the cleaning crew. Any man hanging around without just cause would be thrown out by either building security or the police. And, Mr. Bennett, I have answered your question so you no longer have just cause to be in this lobby."

Sam passed her his card. He did not bring up the blackmail/extortion angle Thor gave him. He played nice and thanked her for his time. He beelined to his car and got in. Sam hinked on something down the block. A black SUV. It was there behind him earlier today. Same car or just a lookalike? He shrugged it off, those cars were everywhere. He counted seconds. Seconds became minutes. Minute thirty-one: Vikki Harper hauling ass out of the office building in pumps. Sam followed in his car slooow. She hit a payphone and dialed numbers. He could not hear but he could see. She spoke frantically. Her eyes were wide. They were concerned. She scuddled to a car and got in.

Seconds passed. She pulled out and hauled down the parkway. Sam followed a minute later and weaved through traffic, staying four car lengths back and keeping the tail tight. Down the parkway to the southside.

Skyscrapers disappeared. Buildings thinned and yards started to appear. Vikki's car kept pushing to the outskirts of the city and into county territory. Oil derricks. Doheny Oil Derricks. Crude City. Sam slackened the tail and followed from afar. Vikki's car pulled into a ranch style house a half mile from the derricks. He kept going and parked a block away. His cell rang before he could get out.

"Hello?

Artie Agee said, "Sammy, I got what you wanted and boy is it something. This family is Fucked up with a capital F. Back in the nineties we ran a piece on Old Man Doheny's daughter Sarah in the society pages. She was engaged to marry a regular joe schmo named James Fullbright. Tragedy ensues and Fullbright is killed in a robbery gone bad. There was a big write-up on it in the paper. Nine months later, the family posts the birth announcement of a daughter Sarah gave birth to. Bianca. Her kid with Fullbright. Ten years ago tragedy struck again. Sarah Doheny goes missing and is found two days later, a hypo in her arm and a half-dissolved hotshot in her system."

Doheny's words: "She ran away some years ago and never came back."

Sam lit up a cigarette. "Anything else, Artie?"

"No, nix, nein, nyet even. For a bunch of rich people they keep it on the QT. No society pages stuff out of that."

"Thanks, Artie. I owe you big."

"Damn right you do, boychick. Whatever this is, I either want copy or I want to know the whole story."

Sam promised Artie the full dish and hung up. He smoked and thought the new info out. Tragedy accrued over the years. Grief on top of grief. No parents and living in that rotting house with the old fart could make a girl chafe. He tossed his butt out the car and snuck down the block towards the house Vikki pulled into. He pulled his piece and peeped a front window.

THERE: Vikki talking to a tall man with sandy blonde hair. No voices coming through the window but he could see worried looks. He ducked and scampered around the back. The back door was locked. He bent and shouldered the jam. It popped. He pushed slow and crept through the room. He heard two voices. He made Vikki's voice. A deeper one had to be the man. A third one just added to the din.

Sam came through a kitchen and into the living room. His gun out. Vikki looked shocked. The guy's mouth dropped. On the couch Bianca Doheny screamed.

--

Sam kept his gun trained on the guy. He was the most likely to come at him. He motioned with the gun towards the couch where Bianca sat.

"All three of you, sit. We're gonna have a nice chat."

They sat. Sam found a chair and sat in front of them. The gun still out and trained for any sudden movements. He looked at Bianca. The clerk at the motel was right. She had bleached blond hair and makeup caked. Her eyes scared Sam shitless. That spark of life was gone and then some. All he saw was vacuum. Not the cute college co-ed from the picture, but a hardened streetwalker. She wouldn't make eye contact with Sam

Sam said, "First things first, what the ever loving hell is going on?"

Looks exchanged between the three. Sam saw entire conversations play out with body language and facial expressions. Vikki started to speak. She got cut short. The front door shook. The front door buckled. The front door flew off its hinges. The door crashed on the floor. Doheny's heavies came rushing through, guns out. Sam pivoted and aimed. He popped off a shot. The lead gorilla took a slug in the shoulder and spun. He flew back against the wall and dropped his gun. Sam aimed for the second thug. The meathead opened fire at Vikki. The tall guy pushed her out the way, made a human shield. Two shots hit the guy in the back. He screamed. Vikki screamed. Blood sprayed.

Sam drew down on the man. The meathead drew down. He had the drop on Sam. Sam winced and braced to get shot. Shots rang out, the thug took three bullets to the chest. He flopped to the ground and bled out. Sam turned. Bianca Doheny with a .22 in her hands. She ran out the house. Sam called after her and ran. He stepped over the dying lug and gave chase. A black SUV in the driveway blocking Vikki's car. The one he made downtown as following him. Bianca got in the SUV and peeled rubber. Sam cursed and ran to his own heap. He was wheezing for breath by the time he got in and sped after her.

He kept his foot on the pedal. The heap groaned and shook. He redlined it and kept pushing. Ten minutes later he caught up with the SUV on the parkway. She was hauling. She flew through downtown. He knew where she was going: the Doheny house. Sam tried to outrun her. His heap gasped for air. He kept pushing. His heap shook violently. Smoke started to pour. The clunker clunked out a quarter mile from the mansion. Bianca kept zooming as he pulled to the side of the road. He got out and footed it to the house. Halfway down the block to the place he heard shots. He ran double time.

Through the doors and inside the house. Sobs and the smell of something else down the hall. He caught whiffs of blood and cordite. Sam pulled his piece as he walked. Inside Doheny's study, the old man laying on his back with a gutshot. Doheny clamped two hands on his gutshot. He huffed and puffed and looked pale. Bianca sat in a chair and watched the old man dying with glee. She looked up at Sam, the .22 still in her hand. Sam held his hands up, palms flat and out. He dropped the .38 to show his surrender.

Doheny tried to say something. Groans and babble came out. Bianca smiled. Intuition and theory melded in Sam's mind. Hunches coalesced into a working theory that bordered on truth. He walked towards the other chair slow. He sat opposite Bianca. He looked into her eyes and almost fell in.

"Your mom and her fiancee, how much of that was the old man behind?"

Bianca said, "All of it. He had James Fullbright killed and it was made to look like a robbery. He used his powerful friends to rig it up. Politicians leaned on police lieutenants who leaned on criminals. Fullbright had to die. That... thing could not handle someone taking mother away from him."

Doheny moaned again. Sam smelled shit as he lost control of his bowels. Sam played a hunch. He asked, "Was Fullbright your father?"

"No. They put him as my father on my birth certificate, but it was a lie. I did not know the truth until I was twelve."

"Is your dad who I think it is?"

Tears welled in Bianca's eyes. Those emotionless eyes leaking tears. Spooky looking. She nodded at Doheny. The old man coughed up blood.

"He is my father, that thing down there. My father and my grandfather. He kept my mother prisoner in this house for years. The things he did to her, the things he made her do... the things he made me do. Mother could not take it. She tried to get help. She called the police, social services, anyone who might help her. He bought everyone off and hushed it up. It wore her down to the nub. She ran away and sought out oblivion in the form of heroin. She overdosed and finally found comfort in the arms of infinite oblivion."

Doheny shook his head. Blood frothed on his lips. He looked dead pale.

Sam said, "Running away from home and the kidnapping, give on that."

Bianca said, "With my father getting older and sicker, I took jaunts from home and indulged my wild side. I took drugs and prostituted my body to enrage him. I soiled my body to make it less desirable to him. It made him mad. He was too feeble to beat me so he had his bodyguards do it. Another hooker I knew put me in touch with Vikki. I was originally going to work for her until she found out my secret. She has a habit of collecting dark secrets. The fake kidnapping was her idea. She and Jason, the man who got shot back there, facilitated it. Jason does security for Vikki's call-girl service. Or did. I think he died. They wanted money. I wanted to make him acknowledge what he did to me."

"You saw the ransom as a victory for you?"

"As close to one as I will ever get... or so I thought until I shot him. When those men came through the door... I just.. snapped. I could not handle them taking me back and putting me in this godforsaken house. The things they did to me, the things he did to me."

They lapsed into silence. Doheny's death rattles the only noise in the room. Sam's body ached for a drink. He longed for a drunk stupor to forget all this shit. His own form of oblivion.

Bianca said, "Are you going to turn me in? Vikki said you were a private investigator hired by him to find me."

Sam looked at the thing on the floor. He did not feel hate. The animal dying there was a parasite. It was beneath contempt. Hating it would require an effort that it did not deserve.

"He hired me to find you. I found you. Case closed as far as I'm concerned."

Sam stood. He reached into his jacket and pulled out what cash he had left. The two grand Doheny fronted him at the start of all this shit. That felt like a lifetime ago.

He handed the cash to Binaca and said, "Get out of here while you still can. This cash won't get you too far, but far enough away to start over."

Bianca nodded. She stood and walked towards the liquor cabinet. She tore rags and searched for a light. Sam stepped over Doheny's still body. He'd died during their convo. Good fucking riddance. He strolled out the house and down the street. Start over. It was a bullshit concept. You never start over. You are who you are. Somebody once said there are no second acts in life. Sam believed that thoroughly. Killing the old man wouldn't change what he did to Bianca. She could gutshot him a hundred times, none of them would take back all the times wrinkled, liver-spotted hands groped her and made her do horrible things. No amount of running could make her outrun herself and her past. She could change her looks, change her name, change everything about her. But come morning that face staring at her in the mirror would be the same girl: A product of incest who was a monster's plaything for over ten years.

Sam walked to his heap down the block. He drained his bottle of gin and pulled out his phone. He'd have to report it, he had to. At least two people were dead, one of them maybe died by his own hands. He'd sort-shrift the cops. He'd say his car crapped out chasing Bianca and he couldn't get to the house in time. He'd withhold the truth. It was a lie, but so what?. It'd be just the latest lie at the top of the heap of lies he'd uncovered. Sam smelled smoke. He saw flames coming from the Doheny home. A blaze burning quick time fast. He saw a small figure scamper out the house and run into the dark. Bianca. Sam made a silent prayer to... whatever existed out there that she would get away and find some kind of peace.

Someone in this world sure as hell had to.

Anung Un Rama was conceived in the early 17th century by a witch and an unknown demon. His mother, on her deathbed, had attempted to repent and save her soul. Instead, her demon consort bore her to hell, where her body was burned away, leaving the child behind. The demon father then replaced the child's right hand with the Right Hand of Doom, a relic of unspeakable power. In a demon dimension, Anung Un Rama slumbered for hundreds of years.

Until World War II, that is. During the great conflict, Hitler and his Thule Occult Society sought desperately for paranormal means to solidify their growing power. An opportunity to do so presented itself when the Fuhrer was approached by Grigori Rasputin with an offer to bring a powerful demonic force under their control. Hitler was quick to give the mad monk everything he asked for, and Rasputin in turn got to work. He set up in the church where Hellboy's mother was taken to Hell. It was there he planned to bring back Anung Un Rama and begin Ragnarok, the end of days.

Fortunately for the world, he was stopped.

When President Roosevelt and the Americans discovered Hitler's occult plans, they formed the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, meant to combat them. Led by Professor Trever "Broom" Bruttenholm, the BPRD discovered what Rasputin was planning and moved to stop him. Leading a detachment of soldiers, including Henry "Indiana" Jones and Captain America, the BPRD interrupted Rasputin's ritual, killing the monk.

The ritual was partially a success, however, as Anung Un Rama was brought back to earth. Luckily, he was found by Broom and the soldiers. They dubbed him "Hellboy", and Broom decided to raise the child.

The years after the war were quiet for the BPRD. They worked to clean up the remaining occult Nazi threats while Broom raised Hellboy as his son. The boy grew physically quickly, and was full grown after only a decade. His mind, however, matured slower. Every ten years was only about three for Hellboy. Still, his physical prowess and resistance to paranormal threats made him invaluable to the country and the BPRD. With Broom's permission, he was put into the field.

Hellboy's reckless and childlike demeanor was not strategically beneficial, but it helped greatly in fights. His headstrong nature made sure any threat focused on him, saving other agents' lives more often than not. He took to fighting naturally, through refused to be trained in any true form. Hellboy was an individual, and no one was going to change that.

Hellboy found his longtime partner, Abe Sapien, in the late seventies on a mission to bust up a cult. Abe, a mystical hybrid of fish and man, had been sealed in a chamber for over a hundred years by a cult. They had returned and planned to use him in some sort of ritual before Hellboy rescued him. Abe remembered nothing of his life before the tube, and the two became quick friends. While Hellboy, dubbed "Red" by Abe, was the hothead, Sapien was far more contemplative and in tune with the mystical energies of the universe. The two balanced one another well, and were strong partners in the field.

During their time with the BPRD, Abe and Red fought alongside other supernatural heroes such as Zatarra, John Constantine, Doctor Fate, the Ancient One, and the Ghostbusters. While the BPRD was successful in its missions, it was eventually brought into the SHIELD fold, and renamed SHADE.

While out on a mission with his team, Red returned to SHADE headquarters to find it engulfed in black flames. He rushed in, to find his adoptive father dead from a stab wound through the heart. Red mourned his father before burying him and setting out on a mission of revenge along with the surviving SHADE agents. The assembled group tracked the assassin down, discovering it was Karl Ruprectch Kroenen, a member of Hitler's Thule Society, twist and immortal thanks to the black arts.

Kroenen then led them to the true mastermind behind the plot; a resurrected Rasputin. Rasputin trapped Hellboy, Abe, and SHADE pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, and planned on fulfilling Hellboy's destiny to bring about the Ogdru Jahad, though he didn't tell Hellboy of this. In the end, Hellboy is able to overcome Rasputin's spells, and Liz is able to kill the monstrous Shadu-Hem with her fire.

The year following, Hellboy traveled the world searched for the missing clues about his true nature while still serving SHADE. Hellboy discovered his connection to the Ogdru Jahad, the seven dragons of the apocalypse, but was unclear what that connection was. The Jahad's children, the Ogdru Hem, were known to be on Earth, so Red made it his priority to track them down and kill them.

It was during this time that he formed the "Creature Commandos", a group of supernaturally powered individuals including Red, Abe, Liz, and Frankenstein's Monster. While they traveled the world, they ran afoul of a large vampire contingent, sparking a war between SHADE and the vamps. SHADE was aided by the Slayer, Buffy Summers, and the Daywalker Blade, and in the end they were victorious against the vampire threat.

Later, Hellboy went to New York to investigate rumors of Frogmen in the sewers, which would be a sure sign of the extra-dimensional Ogdru Hem. Instead, Hellboy discovered the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In a twist, however, the five of them had to fight off one of the Hem who had taken up residence beneath the city.

Tom Manning - Head of the BPRD, Manning distrusts his super powered agents, but realizes their necessity.
Kate Corrigan - Liaison to the super powered agents and research head.
Abe Sapien - An ictyo sapien and Hellboy's best friend, Abe is a form of fishman. He is in tune with the Universe's mystical energies.
Liz Sherman - Like a little sister to Red, Liz is a pyrokinetic.
Frankenstein - Frankenstein's Monster, member of the Creature Commandos.
Roger the Homunculus - Member of the Creature Commandos
Johann Kraus - A psychic spirit that must be held in a containment suit in order to stay in this real of existence. Also a member of the Commandos.

Arkham, MA is the location of the homebase of SHADE, and formerly of the BPRD. Arkham has long been a hotbed of extradimensional and paranormal activity. The former home of Miskatonic University before it was closed due to a multitude of unexplained deaths, the town quickly became a ghost town without the financial support of the college.

In the 70s, Professor Broom and the still young BPRD purchased the land that contained the small town. They moved in and purged the area of its dark tendencies and began to build a town where they and their paranormal agents could live happily.

Miskatonic already had a vast occult library, possibly the biggest in the world before the arrival of the BPRD. After the Bureau took over, however, Broom curated the library to legendary status. Every possible piece of occult knowledge was stored somewhere in the vast halls of Miskatonic’s library. Abe Sapien was now the curator, always adding more information to the collection when it was discovered.

The town of Arkham was now a haven for peaceful paranormal denizens. As such, it is possibly the weirdest community on the planet. Monsters, ghosts, demons, and unimaginable creatures all called Arkham home, and they all made it unique. Human SHADE agents often find the density of paranormal residents the most jarring thing with their new assignment.

Miskatonic University: SHADE’s headquarters, comprised of the great library, communications array, and supernatural holding cells in the caverns below.

The Hanged Man: The town’s local watering hole. The Hanged Man is popular with paranormal and human customers alike, as is the establishment’s owner Igor, Doctor Frankenstein’s assistant granted unnatural long life through mysterious means. Igor is a wealth of knowledge in the magical world, though he never gives it out for free.

Hangman’s Hill Cemetary: Populated by less than respectable group of spirits, including the paranormal thief that calls himself Gentleman Ghost, now bound to the location by Hellboy and his team.

Arkham Tunnels: A labyrinthine space that runs underneath the entirety of the town, the Arkham Tunnels have never been fully mapped outside of the small percentage that are located below the University. Indeed, it seems impossible to do so, as if they are not continually inhabited they will change without warning.

Nora Allen knew that her husband was not a crying man, not by any means. She herself had only ever seen him shed a tear once or twice in the sixteen years they'd been together. But as she so often told Barry on his birthday, the one time Henry Allen had truly let his tears flow was the day his son was born.

It was the 13th of May, 1977 when Henry frantically drove his wife to Central City Hospital, bringing his car to a screeching halt in the parking lot before hurriedly escorting her to the maternity ward. The man was nervous, worried; he didn't know if he could bear a repeat of last time. Being told that your child had been stillborn is something no parent should have to go through, let alone twice. Luckily, no such thing happened, and Barry Allen was born a healthy baby to a happy mother and bawling father. Nora would go on to describe Henry's tears as ones of absolute joy and relief. Henry would go on to deny ever having cried.

As Barry grew, it became evident that he was a boy of science, not sport. Everything interested him: chemistry, physics, theoretical sciences; anything he could learn, he did. His parents were proud of him and of the intelligent man he was growing into, and while bullies tried time and time again to discourage Barry, Henry and Nora would have none of it. Neither, it seemed, would Iris West. A girl of Barry's age, she was fascinated by him, and frequently spent time with the prodigy. Time spent at school soon extended to time spent at home, and Barry and Iris became best friends faster than a speeding bullet could meet its mark. The friendship between the Allens and the Wests was not restricted to the children, and a strong bond was formed between Barry's parents and police detective Joe West over many afternoons spent socialising in the living room as the kids played upstairs. A routine was developed. Every day after school, Barry and Iris would alternate between each other's homes, helping each other with homework and telling each other stories as their parents conversed in another room. It was a good system, and everyone was happy... But that would all change on a dark night of 1988.

The sound of his mother screaming was what alerted Barry. He had been sleeping soundly in his bed when her voice pierced his ears, shouting for help over an impossibly loud noise... A noise that strangely resembled the crackle of electricity. He ran to her, down the stairs and into the living room, only to be blocked by an ever-moving tornado of red and yellow lightning, Nora at its centre. His father came charging in, carrying a baseball bat, running full pelt at the wall of electricity-- only to be knocked back by what Barry swore was a man in a yellow suit, with blazing red eyes --the man he would come to call Eobard Thawne. In all the confusion, Barry managed to hear Henry yell at him to run, to get as far away from the house as possible, before he was whisked out and taken six blocks away; all before he could scream for his mum one last time.

When Barry found his way back home, the first thing he saw was his father in handcuffs, being escorted towards a police car, begging Barry not to go inside. Afraid and confused, Barry did the opposite, barging past officers and running into his home, seeking his mother. Instead, he found her lifeless body, a pool of blood expanding beneath it. Joe came soon after, his face expressionless, his eyes full of sadness. What he told Barry caused the boy's world to crumble around him. Barry's father had killed Nora.

Henry was convicted of first degree murder, sentenced to life in prison without parole. With no legal guardian to take care of him, Barry was taken in by Joe, who had by this time come to terms with Henry's guilt, if reluctantly. This brought on an unhealthy new dynamic to the West household, as frequent arguments would break out between Barry and his adoptive father, each one trying to convince the other whether or not Henry was truly to blame for Nora's death. Iris often found herself playing peacemaker, defusing the situations before they got too heated.

Things eventually settled down as Barry grudgingly accepted his father's predicament; but he never truly laid the subject to rest, often scheming of ways to prove Henry's innocence, going as far as stealing some of Joe's case files strewn across his desk for anyone to take. Needless to say, he received a very stern talking to that night, but aside from that, things seemed normal.

Academically, Barry only continued to thrive, with a new interest in criminology and forensics, one that would see him seek a career in the Central City PD's CSI unit. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

As he transitioned into high school, Barry found himself subject to all things teenagers experience in those years: yet more bullies, piles upon piles of homework, the extension work that followed, after school sport, his first kiss, his first girlfriend, and his first heartbreak. But despite all of that, nothing could keep his mind off of his mother's murder. Theories upon theories, questions upon questions, all piled up in his room. Who was the man in yellow? Why did he kill Nora? Was he in any way related to that old vigilante group, the Justice Society's, Flash? So many questions, yet so little answers... Slowly but surely, Barry was losing hope. Could he ever prove his father was innocent? No one believed him, no one but Iris. But even the comfort she offered was small compared to the ever-growing pit of despair in his stomach.

One hot summer's night in 1995 would give Barry reason to renew his vigour. He'd acquired an internship within STAR Labs, working in their Central City facility. On the odd occasion, his overseer, Dr. Darwin Elias, allowed him to experiment in his lab, an opportunity Barry could never resist. It was on one such occasion that the unthinkable happened, and Barry's life changed forever. A storm had been brewing that day, and as Barry worked in Dr. Elias' lab, it was hammering down on the city in full force. Mixing a batch of chemicals together, he heard the crack of thunder and lightning too late, as a bolt of electricity burst through the lab's window, striking him in the chest and dousing him with the compound he'd created. And such was the way the Speed Force was created. The cause of Barry’s pain. The source of his powers.

Upon being discovered, lying unconscious among shards of glass, he was transported to the nearest hospital, Joe and Iris by his side. Feeling sorry for Barry, maybe even a bit of guilt, Dr. Elias elected to give him the best care possible, paying his hospital bills and personally caring for him.

It wasn’t for another month until Barry woke up. By then, he was a changed man.

It didn’t take long for Barry’s powers to surface. Having moved back in with the Wests, confusion was quick to follow, as he walked down the street in one moment, and crashed into a dumpster the next. Baffled by this new development, he went to the smartest man he knew. Dr. Elias agreed to help Barry gain control of his speed, but insisted that he keep it a secret. He maintained that while nearly a decade had passed since the Purifier movement, the public was still prone to anti-mutant bias, and while it wasn’t clear whether Barry was indeed a mutant, revealing himself would only end in hate. Unwilling, but seeing the truth in Elias’s words, Barry agreed to lay low, at least until they knew more about his powers.

For the next few months they tested him, keeping record of his speed, testing his limits, using a friction-resistant suit of Elias’s design. Barry kept his abilities hidden, just as he promised. But this wouldn’t last for long.

James Jesse, aka the Trickster, convicted terrorist and former enemy of the first Flash, had escaped prison, making his way to Central City to initiate what would go down in history as his most perplexing plot in his entire criminal career. Nationally televised, he explained that he’d rigged the homes of the Gem Cities’ wealthiest socialites, giving them each an hour to transfer two million dollars to an offshore bank account before “everything goes boom.” Unable to stand by and do nothing, Barry took action, running to each of the socialites’ homes, hoping to locate the bombs. What he found, however, was nothing. Jesse had been bluffing. Desperate for help, he called Dr. Elias, who, after indulging in the art of berating, got to locating the Trickster, still broadcasting his twisted program. In a few minutes, he’d done it: Jesse was hiding out in an abandoned warehouse in Lawrence Hills, Central City’s industrial district.

With time to lose, Barry sped to the warehouse, making quick work of the terrorist, tying him to a post and running back to STAR Labs all before Elias could finish tipping off the police. Upon being arrested, Jesse told the CCPD of how a blur had tied him up; this was brushed off as a clumsy lie, the police concluding that he’d gift-wrapped himself in some sick game of cat and mouse.

But his claims were enough to start an urban legend: that of the Gem Cities Blur, a speed demon dedicated to protecting Central and Keystone. Most brushed it off as mere fiction, fabricated by James Jesse’s corrupt mind.

They had no idea how wrong they were.

For the next two years, Barry operated as the Blur, working hard to maintain his status as urban legend, getting faster and faster. It was during this time that he had his first run-in with the men that would become the first Rogues: Leonard Snart, Mick Rory and Sam Scudder, robbing Central City National Bank. It was also during this time that tragedy struck.

It was November, 1998. While on patrol, Joe had been shot and killed by an armed robber. The news reached Barry through a distraught Iris, who told him through shuddering breaths exactly what happened. Overcome by grief, Barry stormed to the CCPD, seeking out Joe's partner and long-time friend, Detective Darryl Frye. Finding him, he let loose a barrage of questions, one after the other: Who killed Joe? Where was he now? How could Darryl let this happen?

In an attempt to calm him down, Darryl assured Barry that the killer had been caught; that he was being held in a cell at that very moment. But it wasn't enough. That night, the Blur phased into the killer's cell. And for the first time in his life, it was Barry that gave the beating.

Joe's killer was found a bloody pulp the next morning, all cuts and fractured bones, bleeding internally in multiple areas. Barry never heard what became of him. He laid the Blur to rest the following day, the guilt of what he'd done too much to bear.

On the June of 1999, Barry was inducted into the CCPD, the CSI unit's newest member. Using his new position, he obtained copies of his mother’s file, reopening the case. Two months later, he and Iris crossed the bridge between friendship and romance, entering a relationship after over a decade of knowing each other.

One year later, he asked her to marry him. She said yes.

Barry and Iris were happily married, living in a small home in the borough of Danville. They were doing well, Barry receiving a steady income from his job at the CCPD, Iris earning nearly double as Central City Picture News’ top reporter. They were happy. But something just didn’t feel right.

In the aftermath of September 11, he realised just what that was. The resurgence of superheroes in the form of Batman and Superman made him see himself for who he truly wanted to be; for what he truly wanted to do. He wanted to help people. But not as the Blur. He had to be someone else. He had to be something else.

It was the October of 2001, and the Flash, after twenty-two years of absence, was spotted apprehending Hartley Rathaway, aka the Pied Piper, as he robbed a bank. Something was different about him, though. He was younger. Taller. Redder.

This guy was new.

With Iris’ support, Barry became the Gem Cities’ protector, the second Flash. He made many enemies: Snart and his gang from the Blur’s days formed the Rogues, each with their own specially-made weapon; Captain Cold, Heatwave and Mirror Master. Digger Harkness, aka Captain Boomerang; Tony Woodward, aka Girder; Roscoe Dillon, aka the Top; Amunet Black, aka Blacksmith; and perhaps the most sickening, Dr. Michael Amar, the serial killer known as Murmur.

Little did Barry know, they were the least of his troubles. For in the shadows hid the orchestrator of Barry’s life-- of all the tragedies, of all the hurt and sadness-- the man in yellow. Eobard Thawne.

May 13, 2004. Barry's twenty-seventh birthday. A romantic dinner date, just Barry and Iris in their home, with no one to bother them. No one but Zoom. To Iris, it just looked like a yellow blur, plucking her husband out of the room in the blink of an eye. But Barry saw everything. The yellow suit. Those red eyes. That taunting smile. He was dropped off on the rooftop of a skyscraper, rain beating down, the man in yellow smiling down at him. It was then that the man spoke, his distorted voice one that would continue to haunt Barry for years to come. He told him his name, and what he was going to do. He made it clear: he was going to tear Barry’s life apart, piece by bloody piece. Then, wishing him a happy birthday, Thawne was gone, just as quick as he came, leaving Barry to contemplate what had just happened. He returned home a frustrated, angry man. After years of investigation, he finally found his mother’s true killer-- finally crossed paths with him. In the years gone by, he’d always imagined that he’d have the upper hand, that he’d bring the man to justice. Yet Thawne was still winning. He was still ten steps ahead.

The following morning, Henry Allen was found within an inch of his life in his cell at Iron Heights. Taken to the infirmary, it was discovered that he suffered numerous internal injuries… with no external ones to cause them. Enraged, Barry donned his Flash suit, knowing exactly who was to blame, and searched all of Central and Keystone. Thawne wasn’t there. He was nowhere to be found.

For the next few days, things remained quiet. Barry spent them at work, unable to visit his father, thinking of what to do. But for the most part, he waited for Thawne’s next move. He swore that next time, he’d be ready.

He wasn’t.

He returned home one night to find Iris gone, a phone in her place. It started to ring, and he answered it, worry eating away at him. His fears were confirmed upon hearing the voice on the other end: Thawne. He had Iris, and he wanted to play a game. Barry was supposed to be the fastest man alive-- Thawne wanted to test that. For every hour that he didn’t find Iris, she would lose a finger. When they’re all gone, they’d move on to her toes. When there aren’t any of them left… She’d die. It was as simple as that.

Barry searched everywhere for Iris, but despite his best efforts, nothing came of it. Desperate and afraid for her, he turned to his former mentor, Dr. Darwin Elias. The response he got, however, was not the one he wanted. Elias didn’t know how to help.

Frustration, anger, worry and fear all welled up inside Barry, threatening to burst. Not knowing how to deal with it all, he ran. Within a second, he broke the sound barrier. Within half of that, he was faster than light. Soon, he was running faster than he’d ever run before-- and before he knew it, he ripped through the fabric of space and time, running into the place he would come to know as the Speed Force. His thoughts fixed firmly on Thawne, the man came into view, standing in front of Iris, bound firmly to a chair.

The speedsters came to blows as Barry exited the Speed Force, fighting Thawne with a newfound aggression. After a prolonged battle, he managed to reopen the portal through which he’d come, throwing his enemy in; it closed, disappearing along with him. Barry took Iris home that night, relief flooding him at her uninjured state.

With Eobard out of the picture, life slowly returned to normal. But as Barry gets faster, everything else slows down… Can he live in a world too slow to keep up?

The man who would come to be known as The Red Skull was born in Southern Germany in 1909 as Johann Shmidt. By the time of WW2, Shmidt became enthralled by the strength of Nazi Germany and had served dutifully within the military ranks of the regime. Shmidt was selected to be part of Projekt Ubermensch— the Nazi’s first foray into genetic experimentation to streamline the ‘perfect’ soldier. Lead by scientists Wolf Krieger and Abraham Erskine, the project was from one perspective a great success but in another perspective was a frightening failure. Shmidt already had the soul of a ruthless and sociopathic beast, a fact that the serum developed only exponentially worsened whilst it made Shmidt’s body stronger and faster. The way Shmidt changed was one of the many reasons Erskine would flee and defect to the United States.

The administration of the Third Reich soon realized Shmidt’s success as a commander, operative, and soldier— a fact to the lead to the foundation of the organization that would come to be known as HYDRA by 1939. As the times teetered on, Shmidt had grown more fascinated by the science that created him as other soldiers who would be injected with the same serum never lived through the process. This fact cemented his belief that he was the pinnacle of humanity and as he was tasked with investigations regarding the occult by Hitler himself he began wondering why he was following orders from someone who was beneath ‘perfection’. He would begin to create plans for when the Axis forces won against the Allied forces to depose of Hitler and install himself as the fuehrer; nobody else was worth of such a great title after all. It was then in 1942 that the Red Skull met the first man to challenge him— Steve Rogers, Captain America.

The Red Skull would battle his nemesis over the course of the rest of the war until their both evident deaths. But he had planned for his death.

Shmidt had given his trusted confidant, Susan Scarbo, the key to his DNA and the blueprint to all of his plans had it come to this scenario. Scarbo alongside other members of what remained of HYDRA like Heinrich Melch, Raymond Terrill, Grosshorn Eule, Kurt Filpots, and Otto Netz. Dr. Heinrick Strueber carried on as Armin Zola “defected” to the United States to carry on his research into the Erskine serum that made Captain America whilst Strueber remained to try to improve upon the Krieger serum that had made the Red Skull. The rest of HYDRA went silent, waiting for the perfect time to re-emerge.

In 1963, HYDRA returned in a brutal attack against the President of the United States which caused both the formation of SHIELD and the formation of the UNCLE Initiative. As a new Captain America, Jeffery Mace, began attacking HYDRA agents in turn HYDRA introduced Albrecht Krieger as “Captain Nazi” – a survivor of the newly refined Krieger serum. The war with SHIELD and UNCLE would be a long and bloody affair that would come tumbling down in 1978 within HYDRA’s headquarters on the island of Madripoor where Alfred Pennyworth, Marie Remarque, Frank Simpson, and various others defeated the high council of HYDRA… sans Susan Scarbo, who disappeared as if she never existed at all.

Not long after, Armin Zola made contact with her with the possibility of creating a new Red Skull with Shmidt's DNA and a maternal host. Scarbo was too old herself, thus she began a quest to find a suitable surrogate and when she was found the birth of Sinthea Shmidt was achieved.

[1979-1997 REDACTED]

Albert Malik was born in the seventies and little is known about his childhood or early adulthood.

Malik crossed paths with Sinthea Shmidt— the supposed daughter of the Red Skull. Opposed to the rise of mutants, America’s defiance as the world power, and the ‘downfall’ of ‘true idealism’ he seemed to agree that it was time that HYDRA returned to the world fiercer than before. Sinthea offered him true resources and a path that could make him the leader he wanted to be.

To make him into the new Red Skull.

Otto Belzig -

Anastasia Cisarovna -

Adam DeCobray -

Birgit Eisenmann -

William Heller -

Sinthea Shmidt -

Drachen Scythe -

Alexander Trent -

John "I'm A Bastard" Constantine was born in Liverpool, Merseyside on the tenth of May in the nineteen hundred and fifty third year of our lord. The youngest Constantine was the next in line to inherit the bloodline and legacy of his ancestors the so called Laughing Magicians, legendary mages who have the power over synchronicity and were infamous for bluffing and tricking gods. Straight out of the womb it seemed the world was already betting against him. His mother, Mary Anne died giving birth to John and his stillborn twin brother (whom John had choked to death with his own umbilical cord while still in the womb) because an earlier abortion (forced on her by John's father, Thomas) had weakened her womb. Because he was unable to accept responsibility for his wife's death, Thomas blamed John and the pair grew up with a deep dislike for one another. Thomas was a severe alcoholic, the drink making him a quote "total bastard" with a heavy inclination to either slack off from work or vent out all his pent up issues by hitting John. So in reality John's older sister Cheryl became John's surrogate mother of sorts watching out for him and making sure that he didn't get into too many scraps as a young lad.

Thomas's alcoholism started to become more of a large problem as still in their childhoods John and Cheryl briefly lived with their aunt and uncle in Northampton after Thomas was arrested for stealing a female neighbor's underwear. This period in Northampton was generally considered by John to be the highpoint of his childhood for once in his life everything was almost normal. But, as it would become a running gag of sorts in life shitting upon John this normalcy was taken away when Thomas was released from prison and the pair went back to live with them. It was around this time that he began to prod and experiment with the ways of magic. John was a skilled mage even as a small child, as one of his first tricks was his very childhood innocence and vulnerability inside of an old box for he considered it only a "nuisance". John's issues with his father only continued as he began to age and as his sister Cheryl slowly became more distance. This all accumulated to a rapid and angry boiling point in the 1960s as a teenager on the night that John ran away from home. John having been fed up with Thomas for a long time at this point planned to make it out on his own, not before a misfired curse caused Thomas to become withered and frail. John would end up wandering the English countryside going from city to city as a conman and street magician until he found permanent residence in London in the year 1969 where he met his closest friend to this day Francis "Chas" Chandler.

In the midst of the great pivot of change known as the seventies, Constantine took his first real steps into the world beyond our own by becoming involved with occult circles of London. Unsatisfied by their answers he began to travel the world and visit other countries. During this period of time John also became enamoured with another love of his life - punk rock music after he saw the Sex Pistols play in '77. In the aftermath of this John went through his "musician phase". Constantine grew his hair out and went by the name of Johnny Con-Job forming a band known as Mucous Membrane made up of other interesting characters: Chandler, Beano the drummer, and Gary Lester. After releasing a moderately successful album Venus of the Hardsell. Around the same time in 80s after famously predicting the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan John also became a rather okay stage magician using his real magic to supplement his acts.

During this time John had his first real taste of being a hero battling the occult... only for it to stereotypically end horribly. On tour with the band at Casa Club Nova in Newcastle, John stumbled across the depravity that was the aftermath of a deprived magical orgy. The cause of it was a girl known as Astra abused and used by those adults who were tormenting her she summoned a demon that now refused to leave. John thinking that he was still the hottest shit in the world since sliced bread decided to gather his bandmates and some other occult friends together to help the girl and banish the demon. John attempted this by summoning a large and powerful demon of his own, a demon that was not under his control when he summoned it. After the demon destroyed the lesser foe summoned by Astra it turned on them tormenting John's friends scarring many of them mentally and dragging Astra down to hell. John visibly shaken after this overcome with grief and guilt suffered a more than minor psychological breakdown. He was committed to Ravenscar Psychiatric Hospital where he would become a frequent patient coming in and out over the years.

John had another series of smaller adventures in the period before 1985 when he would meet Swamp Thing. This included being strong armed by gangsters into resurrecting their leader's dead son under threat of them harming Cheryl and her family. John would meet this group years later to look into the illusive and dangerous Brujería cult which ultimately resulted in disaster when everyone involved was killed- including John's then girlfriend Emma these ghosts among others still haunt John to this day continually looking upon him with judgemental eyes.

In '85 he first met the Swamp Thing after John became interested in rumors of the creature and swaught him out. John would end up having a close relationship with Swamp Thing acting as guide, protector, interpreter, teacher and yes friend. They go on many adventures together John introducing the Swamp Thing to Parliament of Trees a group of planet emissaries that John met on his own travels, to helping Swamp Thing have a child with his wife to produce Swamp Thing's child Tefe and even fighting off an army of the damned sent by the Antichrist to destroy the world. Their relationship was generally good with John even inviting Swamp Thing to his 40th birthday party years later. During this time John would contract terminal lung cancer which started a long and arduous quest to save himself and those he loved from torment. This included his friend Brendan who in A bid for power sold his soul to the First of the Fallen one of the greatest demon lords in hell and the first creature to be damned for eternity. John tricked the First of the Fallen to drink Holy Water rendering him weak for a time and unable to claim his friends soul but in the process he swore revenge for the transgressions against him.

The First promised John eternal suffering in hell when his cancer finally consumed him. Slowly dying Constantine had to figure out a way to cheat death again and to nobody's great surprise he found a way. Performing one the greatests cons of his life John sold his soul to two seprate lords of hell. Because of this the lords could not let him die or else they would be forced to fight over his soul and one of them would certainly die in the process meaning that the only winner would be God himself. John was subsequently cured of his cancer. The First having heard of this become rather mad and hatched a scheme of revenge against the mage. While the First's plan did not succeed the aftermath was horrendous with many of John's closest friends dying in the process.

Constantine then went on to have a series of adventures and misadventures playing the role of puppet and puppeteer with his signature style and profane sarcasm. He managed to free Astra and every other child in Hell, but at the cost of the First returning to power; also, as part of the scheme, John's worst attributes were given separate existence as "Demon Constantine" in the process saving his own soul from eternal damnation. As part of an attempt to regain his nastier edge, he used Ellie a demon and close ally of his, and this led to her taking out a revenge scheme in 1998 that forced him to turn to the First for help; Ellie ended up in Hell and several of John's oldest friends left him. John, being tired of all this, contacted God. God appears and the two converse in a campfire. John then tells him his reason for contacting Him. He warns God that if his soul is ever sent to Hell, he would easily take over, and do nasty things such as unleashing the demons and locking away Hell so that the damned cannot enter and have no resting place. John blackmails God to do his bidding, and that's to keep his soul away from Hell. God, knowing of John's abilities, does so. But warns him of what will come next. (And that was the time that John passed an intimidation check on God himself.)

After spending several years traveling and going on miscellaneous adventuresand helping other heros of the world John returned back to England in 2003. He became acquainted with his sister Cheryl whom he had previously had thought to have been dead for all these years and became involved with a great magical war brewing in London. During this time he discovered that his niece Gemma had become a witch... something that John was less than pleased about. He ended up having to fight a creature known as the Shadow Dog whom he had originally presumed to be a creature of inherent madness, was actually serving as the barrier protecting our world from a far greater evil known as The Beast. The battle hard fought and in the end the Beast is defeated but at the cost of John's memories.

As a result of this John was forced to do what he does best make another deal with yet another devil. The devil
in this case was a seducing femme fatale known as Rosacarnis. To regain his memories and continue his life would have to spend one day in the service of the demon. During this time John was more or less forced to father three demonic children who proceeded to massacre anybody that even knew the Name John Constantine. Among them was his sister Cheryl - her husband manipulated by one of these demon offspring into drawing out his religious fanaticism to kill her because she was a witch and filled with sin. John unable to live with this fact would end up going to hell once more to try and save his sister from damnation.

John would not be alone in this journey accompanied by an old foe of his that he thought he killed long ago a demon by the name of Nergal. John and Nergal are forced into an uneasy alliance as they enter Hell here they are forced to work together to fight John's darkside, John having to let Nergal enter his body to be able to summon the power to defeat the demon. Here John meets Ellie who had forgiven John for letting her be dragged to down to hell and helps guide him to confront Rosacarnis. At Rosacarnis hall many are in attendance including John's three demon children, the First of the Fallen and many other demons. John begged Rosacarnis to take his own soul in exchange for his sister's but before the killing blow can be dealt The First kills Rosacarnis in one swift blow and two of John's three demon children - leaving the girl alive because she was already in great mental torment and stuck in one hell of an existential crisis.

The First explained to John that only he could kill him and commanded Nergal to release Cheryl's soul for she is innocent of any transgression. Though before any celebrations could occur the First explained a minor problem that had to be dealt with. John's brother in law still had blood on his hands, he was a murderer and would be damned to hell even if he was manipulated. The First then explained that he was a fair man and offered Cheryl a deal of sorts. She could stay in hell and her husband's sentence would be fairly divided between them. Despite her husband's actions she knew he was not himself when he struck her down and still loved him. So she accepted the deal presented and The First after all these years got the revenge he so long desired. John was sent back to the world of the living where unable to explain his failures to his niece, ran out into the night away from London and the world of magic. Nobody has seen him since.

The London in the world of John Constantine is similar to our own in many ways. The people, the streets, the landmarks, and the history are nearly identical. Though there is something else there a dark undercurrent seen in the fog ridden streets, a fear that had been present in the city since Jack The Ripper haunted its streets. Constantine's London is dark and filled with grime, grit and a hundred different things that want to kill you. Though in many ways these are just reflections of our own society magnified and presented to their extreme. While magic exists things are still grounded in reality.

Thomas 'Tommy' Bronson - Ted's only son, who he knew nothing about until recently. The two have only recently connected after the death of Tommy's mother, and are still unsure as to how to act around each other. Goes to school with Peter Parker.

Mark 'Sock' Muldoon - The son of Ted's first promoter, and Ted's oldest friend. Works in Grant's gym, running the accounts.

Veronica 'Roulette' Sinclair - A young business woman who's shown some interest in Ted, though for what reason he isn't sure.

Claudio 'Clawhammer' Volpe - Amateur boxer who trains at Grant's gym. Struggles with anger issues. Older brother has ties to organised crime.

The Justice Society - Ted's old team. Emphasis on the old. While most of them are retired they do still keep in touch.

The Moretti crime family - Gang led by Victor Moretti. Hurt Claudio Volpe, now Ted's out to hurt them.

Grant's Gym - The gym owned by Ted, where he trains young boxers.

Roulette's - A small chain of upscale sports bars run by Veronica Sinclair. Sinclair is a self-proclaimed fight fan, and has instructed all staff at her four different establishments that Ted Grant is to drink for free. There is some talk of Roulette's serving as a haven for mafiosi types, and housing underground fighting events, but as of the moment that's all it is; talk.

After Steve Rogers was lost at the end of WWII, the United States immediately jump started “Project Reclamation” in order to craft a replacement super soldier. Since the only thing that was recovered from the area believed to be the final resting place of Rogers and Bucky Barnes was Cap’s vibranium shield, the only biological place to start were samples of Rogers’s blood taken after the death of Abraham Erskine. Untold funds and methods were pouring into trying to extract the serum from the blood, including using Nazi and HYDRA defectors as scientists.

Nothing worked, however, and the project was more or less shelved, with a skeleton team left working on it. The leader of that team was former HYDRA mind Arnim Zola, who was dead set on completing his goals. He worked tirelessly for decades in the lab. While his body aged, his mind never dulled, and he believed he would succeed.

And succeed he did.

In the early 80s, Zola approached SHIELD brass to tell them that he could impregnate a woman with genetic material from Rogers. In turn, this would birth a super soldier child. The project was immediately put into motion, and they quickly received a volunteer. Sharon Carter, great niece of Steve Rogers’s flame Peggy Carter and current Agent 13, volunteered to carry and raise the child. She was quickly approved, as she was the agency’s best female agent.

The baby was born on, fittingly, V.E. Day 1984. To everyone’s surprise, the child was female. Sharon named her Stephanie in honor of her “father”.

Stephanie was a happy child. She was raised on the Triskelion, SHIELD’s base of operations. Like most military bases, there were other “military brats” on the installation growing up next to Steph. Her best friend was the older Bobbi Morse, who acted like Steph’s big sister. The two were inseparable, and often got into trouble on the station.

Her life changed on her thirteenth birthday. Director of SHIELD Timothy Duggan and Sharon informed her of her heritage and what she was meant for, believing it was time. While the two worried it would scare the young girl, Stephanie felt nothing but pride that she was to carry on the legacy of the world’s greatest hero.

Once Steph was fully grown around age 16, she threw herself into SHIELD training. She took to combat, strategy, and stealth as quickly as her father did, quickly becoming an expert combatant. She was also allowed to train with her father’s shield, something she treasured greatly.

Once she turned 18, Steph was approved for field work, though not as Captain America, as Duggan did not think she was ready for the mantle. Instead, she adopted her mother’s former callsign “Agent 13”, and worked in the field with her friend Bobbi, who worked under the codename “Mockingbird”. The two quickly became the agency’s top anti-terrorism agents as part of the STRIKE forward operations team.

Their main adversary was the nefarious organization known as Advanced Idea Mechanics, a group dedicated to technological domination of the globe. The pair thwarted AIM many times, drawing the ire of the group and driving them to perform dangerous experiments to gain a leg up on SHIELD.

During this time they also came in contact with the mysterious terrorist group known as KOBRA. This fanatical sect seemed to sow anarchy where ever they went, and SHIELD struggled to pinpoint their leadership or their end goal.

It was during this time that Stephanie also came in contact with the enigmatic vigilante known as “The Question”. Question was investigating AIM and KOBRA on his own, and warned Stephanie that something else was in play. The two were too organized and well funded to have sprung up so quickly. He believed it had deeper, evil ties, and told her to get in touch with him if she ever wanted to learn the real truth of the world. While he came off as a bit of a nut, something about his words rung true, and she kept his warning in the back of her mind.

After September 11th, 2001, the world of the superhero again began to emerge to the forefront of society. As it did, Stephanie was sure her time as Captain America was about to begin. SHIELD needed to present its own superhuman to the world, to show that it could still protect them in an ever shifting new reality. She once again began carrying her father’s shield on missions, against the wishes of SHIELD high command. But she wanted to be ready.

Her world came crashing down on March 19th, 2005. HYDRA and the Red Skull announced their return, and Steph knew it was time. She marched into Fury’s office, ready to demand the mantle. His response, however, broke her heart. Director Nick Fury, Duggan's replacement after his death at the hands of KOBRA, maintained she wasn’t ready yet, and that someone else would carry the mantle until she was. Bucky Barnes had been found and was who Fury was going to make the figurehead of the fight against HYDRA.

Enraged, Stephanie Carter decided to do something drastic.

The Question - An enigmatic vigilante and conspiracy theorist, Question is Nomad’s best source of information.
Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse - Steph’s best friend and SHIELD agent, Bobbi supports Steph, though their relationship becomes strained after the latter’s desertion.
Sharon Carter - Stephanie’s mother.

AIM - A terrorist organization that Carter has thwarted many times.
HYDRA - The reemergent theat to world security
Red Skull - Her father’s arch nemesis.

In the beginning when the universe was young there existed the emotional spectrum and the alien entities that embodied each essence. These entities were seven—Ion of Will, Atrocitus of Rage, Ophidian of Greed, Parralax of Fear, Adara of Hope, Zamaron of Love, and Proselyte of Compassion. The guardians of Oa have archived the stories of this period where Atrocitus turned on his brothers and sisters in a fit of anger, Ophidian sought out more power, and Parralax watched as he contemplated their destruction by the fear of the two brothers caused in their battle. In the end the only truth that is known is that Atrocitus, Ophidian, and Parralax were locked away and the guardians of Oa began to work with the remaining entities to observe the galaxy—hoping such destruction would never be unleashed again. Thus the Lantern Corps Initiative was born—embodying a fraction of each entities power to a single person as long as they were “worthy” of such gifts.

In the time of the initiative, the guardians saw empires fall (Salamon, Psion) and evil forces disappear (The Blight, The Manhunters).

Green Lanterns: The base police and military of the lantern corps initiative.
Blue Lanterns: The base police and military of the lantern corps initiative.
Indigo Lanterns: The response teams and relief forces of the lantern corps initiative.
Violet Lanterns: The response teams and relief forces of the lantern corps initiative.

Born of two worlds: Jade is the daughter of Alan Scott and a thorn named Rose. Alan Scott was born on Earth and through an indomitable willpower during the Korean War later became one of two green lanterns of his sector alongside the wise Abin Sur. After the Justice Society disbanded in 1979, Alan Scott removed himself from his homeworld— seeing the bigger picture among other Green Lanterns; hence why history did not see a Green Lantern since 1982. For years Alan Scott served with the most dutiful loyalty that the corps had seen in a long while—granting him respect and recognition among his peers.

Then there was the homeworld of the race known as the thorn. This planet, within the corps jurisdiction found itself under attack by raiders with a device to reap and harvest the planet’s resources—knowing the race would be unable to resist due to their inherent link to a cosmic force within nature they assumed they would be out of there with little resistance and before the corps would happen upon them. The planet however did suffer massive casualties as the pure emotional and psychological pain they experienced began to take its toll. The druidic people irregardless of this mounted a defense as the planet attempted to fight back against these raiders but even then it seemed to be an uphill battle… or it would have been if it were not for Alan Scott and his team of green lanterns. Scott fought back the raiders and defeated them into submission and hauled them back to galactic court to face the law.

Jade’s mother was grateful to Alan Scott when he returned a few galactic cycles later and they fell in with each other; eventually resulting in the birth of Jade; which despite a taboo on other worlds was only looked upon with worry for the child. Jade’s childhood was one of half-thorn culture and half-thorn connections: she could not move earth or water but she still felt the “heartbeat” of nature itself— the planetary soul. Even with this weight she strived to be good and growing up knowing of what the Green Lantern’s stood for and who her father was she began to envy the outside world; something few thorn did. This resulting her into leaving her home when it became an ample opportunity; as Jade does this Alan Scott returns to Earth after nearly half of his life ignoring the planet.

Jade’s fiery and adventurous personality garnered her friends as she traveled throughout the galaxy. As time would come it became apparent that Jade was destined to become a member of the lantern corps initiative. She found herself fighting off complete and emotional agony when the planets she came to visit “spoke” to her as they called for help. This feeling that enveloped Jade made her realize that her people were wasting their time away on their homeworld when other planets suffered as she experienced almost unbearable pain each time she stood on these new worlds that called out to her. As thus she began to adventure despite being so young in the scheme of things and she knew she would be a protector—she had to be one. Therefore Jade Scott traveled and fell in with a variety of others in the pursuit of being a protector such as a group of freedom fighters on Zureq, she fought against raiders on Yovk, and even defended against slavers on Vega. She proved she truly envied her father’s legacy and in the eye of the galaxy she soon found herself in a hopeless scenario where the indomitable willpower she inherited from her father showed her a path— to join the Lantern Corps initiative.

This was the beginning of something special.

Assigned to veteran lantern member Arisia Rrab, Jade Scott found a mentor in the form of the graxonite that became the perfect fit for the thornian. In fact, the guardians selected Arisia specifically for the fact she was a hardened lantern who reflected Jade in many ways—her father was one of the most renowned lanterns in the corps, she had become a member of the corps as a teenager, and initially had a fiery volatile personality that had to be reined in by her former mentor/partner. Jade was finally thrilled with finally been assigned responsibilities after several galactic standard months passing since she passed her recruit training that was heralded by Kilowog and Katma Tui. The following missions that Arisia and Jade would go on to allow Jade to understand the scheme of galactic politics such as the Tamaran Empire’s policy against the corps activity through the space of their sovereignty. Traveling to the Vega System as carefully as possible they came into contact with a group of smugglers distributing illegal goods on an abandoned space station that served as a criminal hotspot. The lanterns had been keeping eyes on the location but rumors had it that an artifact of Psion origin had been shipped there which they planned to sell to The Blight who had supposedly returned and were interested in such things. Donning disguises and entering the station they intended to infiltrate and gather Intel directly on the Blight as well as the nature of the artifact. However, when word reached the criminals that the Blight had attacked a Tamaran Empire colony for a similar artifact they voided all interest due to a desire of not wanting to cross the Tamaran Empire so eagerly. Despite this the deal went south when one of the smuggler’s associates recognized Arisia and things turned into a firefight. Jade’s first mission turned into her first taste of action as they dealt with the men and acquired the artifact. They returned to Oa with a mission complete report in mind.

As the Blight threat continues to spread; the Darkstar Alliance begins to work with the Lantern Corps Initiative—a rare occurrence. As Alan Scott is sent to investigate a sighting of the Blight with Merayn Dethalis. As the two do this Jade and Arisa report back to the lantern corps council and a science team from Rann is sent to study the Psion artifact comprised of Sardath and an earthling by the name of Adam Strange among others. This brings the investigation to a heading as it is soon discovered that the artifacts were designed by an ancient Psion named H'san Natall who was working on a device that could tap into the emotional spectrum and disable it—thus cutting the entities off from their spectrum or perhaps manipulate the spectrum for their own gain. This must be stopped and a task force is organized to deal with the Blight problem at the source before they tampered with what they could not understand as the consequences would be dire. Eventually this team led by Thaal Sinestro find themselves successful in their mission as Sinestro acts with a brutality that “must be done” which the guardians of Oa secretly agree. Alan Scott witnesses this event when he and Merayn end up on the same planet after following their own investigation and Scott is appalled by the genocide Sinestro enacts as he uses a scientific device to specifically kill all of the insectoid aliens in one swift motion. Alan Scott sees this as an act of fear and confronts Sinestro and later the guardians. The situation is left open as Alan Scott is assigned time off to cool his head before his next mission; he begins to wonder what lengths the guardians would go—lengths he disagrees with.

The new year has brought dread and ever-consuming worry with the news that Alan Scott has not reported back to Oa after a deep space mission after his ship—the Starheart was found drifting in space with no trace of the green lantern; and worst of all, Scott’s lantern ring is giving off no signal indicated his or its location. The guardians declare this an important matter as they discuss the possibility of organizing a task force team to investigate his last known whereabouts. Jade pleads to the guardians to put her on such a team as its paramount to her to see her father brought back alive as she holds on to the hope that he is still out there. Unbenowst to the corps and Jade, Alan Scott has been captured by a fringe group of manhunters that have remained in hiding whose plans are grand indeed.

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Alan Scott - Alan Scott in addition to being Jade’s father is also her mentor and inspiration to do what she does. Born on the planet known as Earth, Alan Scott is a veteran soldier who came into the lantern ring when it came to him after an inescapable event that tested his will when he lost his best friend Sam Smith in battle during the first Gulf War. The guardians of Oa have indicated that Alan Scott is the ‘ideal’ Green Lantern on occasion which is proven through his tenacity, research, and dedication to keeping the galaxy safe. He is current MIA.
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Katma Tui - A korugaran member of the lantern corps who trained Jade.
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Kilowog - A bolovaxian member of the lantern corps who has been assigned to recruit orientation due to the events of a former mission. A former scientist, Kilowog is equally smart as he is tough. He trained Jade.
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Arisia Rrab - Jade's partner and mentor.

AYA - The lantern corps artificial intelligence that is routed through their starcraft's on-board computer.
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Special Tasks Force - Otherwise known as STF, the special task division of the lantern corps initiative is designated with being organized for specialty cases that don't need singular patrols or general investigation. It is generally comprised of four lanterns and a supervising officer. The command is currently held by Salaak.
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The Darkstar Alliance - An independent galactic security firm that operates off of Rann in the Alpha Centauri system. They are noted as being more ruthless than the lantern corps initiative with more concern with enforcing order rather than law.