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| Nomad 2099UG Issue #0 "Prelude" Written by Travis DeVore |
| The 2099 Underground is a project whereby a group of fans are putting together a series of stories continuing from Marvel's fantastic futuristic 2099! Ignoring the ignoble and inaccurate "2099: World of Tomorrow", we're exploring what we feel is the true spirit of 2099 as envisioned by then Editor-in-Chief Joey Cavalieri. Participation is open to all. Comments about this issue should be sent to the author. Or you can visit our message board and post your thoughts on the issue. Anyone wishing to join the mailing list should do so by signing up at Yahoo! Groups. It's free and easy! Simply type in the keyword "Ghostworks" and you're good to go. |
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| CNN- "Today the capital was rocked when the vigilante known as Nomad entered..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KLAX- "...the senate assembly, carrying what looked to be a gun, threatening the day's speaker, Senator Bart Ingrid. Shortly after being threatened by the..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- American Journal- "...lone vigilante, the senator revealed that he was wired with explosives. Our film crew was on location, getting this..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Affair-" ...exclusive footage of the altercation. We must warn you that what you are about to see is very graphic and may not be suitable for younger viewers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You won't shoot me Jack! Because, if you do, my hand will release this detonator and the plastique inside my case will blow this shrine apart!" "How much of an explosive charge can he be carrying?" "Enough to blow you, me, and most every congressman in here to our next reward! Well, the world would only miss two out of those three, Hatch. Everybody--Clear Out-- Now!" "You are not leaving this building alive, Monroe!" "That's the whole point, buddy! So unless you want to join me and Bart I suggest you try catching up to all those reporters and congressmen who're setting a land speed record for Dulles!" "Like it was always meant to be Jack- You and Me! I told you a long, long time ago that eventually you'd get yours!" "You haven't gotten me, Bart, and I haven't gotten you- Sad as it is, we've always had each other." "Pretty pathetic, huh?" KCOOM! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from public speech of the Soldiers of the White Way- "My friends. We all saw as that gun-totin' superhero, Nomad, stormed into the capitol buildin' and shot one of our brethren, the honorable Bartholomew Ingrid. Now, brothers and sisters, the only good thing is that this maniac was also killed. But how long will it be before other degenerate heroes start attacking the common man? We've all heard tales of the Punisher killing supposed "criminals" in his own little war. And we all know about the mutie threat. When will it stop my friends. I'm here tonight to say that it will end now. The common man must no longer be afraid of these so- called heroes. We must defend ourselves from this menace before there is nothin' left to defend." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington DC police blotter entry- "Missing person- Kevin Adamson, Caucasian, brown eyes, brown hair, approximately six foot three inches; Cameraman for WNDC; Last seen in vicinity of Capitol Hill explosion." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Geraldo- "A few weeks ago we all watched as a man walked into the Senate assembly and threatened Senator , who himself had been recently alleged to have ties to a hate group. However, the focus of this show is on the gunman. Who was he? Why did he do it? Could it have been prevented and will it happen again? This brings me to my first guest, Andrea Sterman. She has written a book detailing the life of this lone gunman, trying to explain why he did what he did. Now Ms. Sterman...." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sally- " why did this man, who we all know as Nomad, commit this horrible act? Was it something personal or was the superhero lifestyle too much for him and he couldn't take it anymore?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hard Copy- "Two months ago, you all saw an armed vigilante take the life of a U.S. Senator. You also saw as this man was himself killed. Or was he? Our Greg Rivera has uncovered evidence showing that maybe the man known as Nomad didn't die." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At a cemetery in Washington, DC, a man with a small child stands in front of a tombstone. On the headstone are the words "Jack Monroe- A real hero". "Well Jack, it looks like you finally got the respect that you so long deserved. Everyone is talking about you, there's a book about your life, and no one doubts that what you did was right. Except maybe those hate groups that pop up every now and then. Oh well, let the other heroes worry about them, you've deserved a rest." The child in that man's arms stirs in her sleep. "Shhhh. It's ok, Bucky. Go back to sleep, little one." The man smiles and rocks the child back to sleep. "Don't worry Jack, I'll take care of her." The man turns and walks out of the cemetery. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2025 "Where the Hell is Bucky?" screams Giscard Epurer. A technician moves to restrain Epurer. "Sir, stay still. If you move, the computer won't be able to make a proper template of your brain patterns and-" "Son, just shut up and get this over with. I just want to know where that ungrateful little daughter of mine is." The man lies still as a beam of light plays over the length of his body. At the same time an image appears on one of the many monitors in the room. "You know her, sir. She's probably out saving the world or something." The technician taps a few keys on his keypad and the beam reverses direction, fine-tuning the details of the image of Giscard. "She's too much like her father, that's what she is. Oh well, I knew I couldn't keep her away from that lifestyle once she grew up. Are you almost finished?" Giscard asks, getting irritated with the elaborate procedure. "Almost. Just a couple more minutes, then we can get started on the speech patterns." "Dammit. I don't know which is worse. This procedure or my gallivanting daughter." "Is someone talking about me?" The man lifts his head enough to see a young woman walking into the room. As hard as it is to resist, Giscard smiles at the young woman. However, the smile quickly fades when he sees the rip in the costume, accompanied by a gash in her leg. "Let me guess. They wanted to do it the hard way." "I don't know. They ran as soon as we showed up, so there wasn't much of an option. One of them got lucky with his mono-whip. I showed him just how lucky with my stun disc, but I don't think he appreciated it. Besides, it's just a flesh wound. Hey Tim, do you still have some of that ointment? I think I twisted something in my back when I jumped off the building." "Yeah, it's over in the cabinet." The young man points over to a small bathroom area. "Thanks. You would have been proud of me, dad. Steve said-" "Don't you ever mention that name around me. After what he did to your father, I can't bear to even think of that man. I barely tolerate you working with him. So, please. Do me the courtesy of not talking about him." "Fine. But when are you going to learn that what happened to my father was not Steve's fault. It was his own. I know how much you respected him, but he's dead. I've moved on. Why can't you do the same?" The young woman storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Tim looks at Giscard. Tears well up in the older man's eyes. "When are you going to tell her the truth? I mean, she must know-" "No. She doesn't. And I want it to stay that way. I want her to live her own life and not have to worry about what happened that terrible day. I just wish I could explain it to her. Can we finish this later? I need some time alone." "Sure. We're almost done anyway. It can wait until later. I don't agree with you, but I know you're trying, sir. I just hope it's enough." Tim walks out of the room. Giscard slumps down. "Please forgive me, Jack. I really am trying to do what's best." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2099 Somewhere in the southwest portion of the former United States, machines that have kept a silent vigil begin to stir. First a monitor blinks on, then another one. A few other machines begin to make their own noises. Within a few seconds, a room that had been as quiet as a crypt, the machines are making enough noise to wake the dead. However, only one person is around to worry about the noise level in the small chamber but this man could hardly care about what is going on. This man is asleep in a cryogenic cocoon and has been that way for more than a hundred years. Yet if the machines succeed in their tasks that slumber is about to end. Somewhere on the eastern seaboard of America, another machine beeps to life. At this location, a small group of people is there to respond. They no longer remember the reason for the signal, only that they are to follow the machine's instructions and make preparations. In another part of the world, a third machine is awakened from its slumber. Again someone is around to attend to it. This person has been waiting for his machine to come to life for decades. |